Airbus officials made a pitch yesterday at a Quebec aerospace forum for a Canadian purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Airbus Canada President Simon Jacques, like his counterparts at Lockheed Martin Canada, called for an open and fair competition for the fighter replacement.
“We have a very good plane,” he said, referring to the Typhoon. “If the tender comes out with criteria that are fair to everyone – that is to say that no matter the company – it’s open and fair, if it’s a real competition, absolutely we have a chance to win.”
Airbus currently has the contract to provide the RCAF with a fleet of new search and rescue aircraft. Jacques has noted that Airbus is associated with a number of Canadian firms, such as CAE. A Canadian team would be designed to offer the Typhoon to the RCAF, he added.
With the takeover of the Bombardier CSeries by Airbus, the European consortium is now in a favorable position for any fighter jet competition, the Quebec newspaper Le Devoir has suggested.
But Jacques declined to comment on what may come because of the deal with Bombardier.
European aerospace firms, BAE, Leonardo and Airbus are partners in the Typhoon program.
Eurofighter Typhoon has become the backbone of the air forces in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia, the companies point out.
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