Winning the Contract
In March of 2012, the Canadian government had an urgent need to ensure ongoing maintenance of the RCAF’s CC-150 fleet in order to fulfill roles such as Air-to-Air Refuelling, VVIP/Head of State transport and passenger/cargo transportation. To address this need, L3Harris promptly assembled a team to respond to Canada’s request. Their efforts resulted in L3Harris winning a short-term interim contract to provide in-service support (ISS) on the fleet. Subsequently, in August 2013, L3Harris competitively won a multi-year follow-on contract from the Canadian government, making them the government’s CC-150 support contractor until 2018, followed by an additional two five-year option periods.
“L3Harris has proudly maintained Canada’s CC-150 fleet, which consists of five Airbus A-310 and A-300 aircraft in various operational configurations, at home and abroad, for over a decade,” said Ugo Paniconi, General Manager, L3Harris in Mirabel, Quebec. “As Canada’s premier in-service support provider, we’ve made it our mission to provide seamless support for the CC-150s. We take immense pride in our work and value our role as Canada’s trusted partner.”
Dependable Service and Expertise
L3Harris, as the prime contractor for the CC-150, provides fleet management, engineering, operational and heavy maintenance, logistics and material management at the RCAF’s 8 Wing Trenton Base in Ontario, Canada, where the CC-150s are stationed. L3Harris also offers these services at its ISS-specialized facility in Mirabel, Quebec. Additionally, the company provides heavy maintenance, aircraft painting and modifications, component and engine repair and overhaul services, and complete ISS during short and long-term deployed operations in other locations around the globe.
“We do everything on the aircraft except fly it, with support from Airbus as needed,” Paniconi explained. “When the Prime Minister travels on the CC-150, we are there. When the RCAF deploys CC-150s as tankers, we support them anywhere in the world.”
A team of over 100 L3Harris employees work to keep the CC-150s flight-ready in Trenton, Ontario and Mirabel, Quebec. The company’s broader Canadian ‘ISS’ team consist of 1,100 experienced employees, operating at 13 different sites across Canada, providing state-of-the-art ISS on many high-priority RCAF fleets, such as the renowned CF-188 Hornet, CP-140 Aurora, CH-148 Cyclone, CH-147F Chinook and CT-114 Tutor (Snowbirds).
Ready for the Next Generation of Tankers
In December 2022, L3Harris was selected to provide interim ISS services for Canada’s incoming CC-330 Husky fleet.
In December 2022, L3Harris achieved a new milestone when Canada swiftly acquired two used A-330 aircraft as part of the STTC project. In response, L3Harris was tasked to bring these aircraft into operation in a remarkably short timeline, less than a year from contract award. Leveraging its established ISS experience on the CC-150 Polaris fleet, L3Harris was selected to provide interim ISS services with a similar scope for the CC-330 at the Ottawa, Ontario airport.
L3Harris has been supporting Canada's CC-150s for over a decade, which makes the company well-equipped to provide continuous and reliable support for the CC-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet as part of the RCAF's STTC project. The Canadian STTC project, which aims to replace the CC-150 Polaris fleet, will significantly enhance Canada's defence capabilities, domestically and internationally, for many years to come. Therefore, it is crucial that the project receives the best support available from the Canadian industry.
L3Harris stands ready to provide the best support on Canada’s next generation of tanker fleet.
"L3Harris has consistently demonstrated that it possesses all the credentials, capabilities, local knowledge, and demonstrated performance to offer the best, lowest risk, and highest level of readiness solution to support a seamless introduction of Airbus’s A-330 MRTT into the Canadian STTC project and operations,” said Paniconi. "We stand ready to respond to the RCAF’s request to provide the best support for the fleet. As Canada’s trusted tanker in-service support provider, we look forward to the opportunity to continue our rich legacy of ISS on Canada’s next-generation tanker fleet."
