Team Spartan, comprised of Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aermacchi, General Dynamics Canada [GD] and Finmeccanica’s DRS Technologies Canada, said it has added Kelowna Flightcraft, a Canadian aircraft in-service support (ISS) provider to its team that is pursuing the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) program.
Working with Team Spartan’s ISS integrator, General Dynamics Canada, Kelowna Flightcraft will provide long term maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) as well as engineering and supply chain support services for the C-27J FWSAR fleet across Canada.
Photo: Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aeromacchi
With heavy maintenance facilities and support shops in Kelowna, British Colombia and Hamilton, Ontario, Kelowna Flightcraft provides full-service aircraft maintenance, including overhaul and modification, for its own fleet of aircraft as well as customers such as the RCAF, Canadian airline operators like WestJet and Canadian North, and commercial air carriers from around the world.
Kelowna Flightcraft has been providing full ISS, including in-depth inspections and structural repair, component repair and overhaul, engineering, technical investigations, modifications/upgrades, and manufacturing and assembly of prototypes for the RCAF’s CC-115 Buffalo and CC-138 Twin Otter FWSAR fleets since May 2009. Kelowna Flightcraft, through its Allied Wings operation, is also responsible for providing primary and advanced multi-engine and rotary wing pilot training, with full operational support, to the RCAF under a performance based contract at its world class facility in Southport, Manitoba.
Ben Stone, president and chief executive officer of Alenia Aermacchi’s North American business unit, said: “This is a company that understands the dedication required to maintain search and rescue assets. Kelowna Flightcraft has a history of supporting RCAF aircraft and is committed to providing the high level of service required by a critical capability like SAR. We look forward to announcing more Canadian partnerships as we get closer to the release of Canada’s FWSAR Request for Proposals.”
Tracy Medve, president Kelowna Flightcraft, said: “We have been serving the RCAF, supporting their current fleet of search and rescue aircraft for a number of years and have significantly improved reliability and operational availability of this important fleet of aircraft. We understand the demands of the job and believe the C-27J is the right aircraft for Canada’s FWSAR needs. For Kelowna Flightcraft, this is a great opportunity to become part of Alenia’s global supply chain and add the C-27J to the already impressive list of aircraft we support.”
Twelve nations have chosen the C-27J, including most recently Peru, which selected the C-27J to carry out a variety of missions including search and rescue, in part, because of its ability to operate effectively in the most difficult conditions including the Andes Mountains. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard recently acquired 14 C-27Js as part of its search and rescue fleet recapitalization.