Canadian Commercial Corporation and the Croatian government sign deal for DHC-515 firefighting aircraft

Canadian Commercial Corporation and the Croatian government sign deal for DHC-515 firefighting aircraft (GlobeNewswire)

OTTAWA — CCC announces the signing of a government to government (G2G) contract with the Ministry of the Interior of Croatia for the sale of two (2) DHC-515 FIREFIGHTER™ aircraft manufactured by De Havilland Canada (DHC). Through CCC’s G2G contract, DHC will provide the DHC-515 aircraft to Croatia, along with spare parts, training, and maintenance support. The contract is the result of ongoing cooperation between CCC, DHC, the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) and its Member States to supply the EU with Canadian-made firefighting aircraft.

Croatia, like the rest of Europe and Canada, continues to face significant wildfire seasons as our summers become both longer and hotter. Currently, Croatia currently operates six CL-415 aircraft and will increase its aerial firefighting program by one-third with the acquisition of these two new DHC-515 aircraft. The Croatian Government and European Union are making this significant investment to augment Croatia’s emergency response capacity through the purchase of these Canadian-made waterbombers.

CCC, Canada’s G2G contracting agency, and Export Development Canada, Canada’s export credit agency, are part of Canada’s overall support for the DHC-515 FIREFIGHTER™ program.

“Canada is proud to facilitate the purchase of De Havilland Canada’s next generation aerial firefighting aircraft by Croatia and to help the Ministry of the Interior to combat wildfires. We are committed to providing practical tools to address the wildfires that threaten the security of Croatia’s citizens and historical sites,” says Diane Montambault, Vice-President, Contract Management and Operations, CCC.

“The activities undertaken over the past few years by the Croatian Government with its partners from Canada and with the support and assistance of the European Commission, have enabled Croatia to be among the first EU Member States to sign the Purchase Agreement for two new DHC-515 aircraft, thereby contributing to the establishment of permanent firefighting capacities at the EU level. This is a major common achievement, which also proves that only by joining our forces at national, European and global levels, we can efficiently respond to the devastating consequences of climate change, such as wildfires, all with a view to ensuring the safety of our citizens,” says Davor Božinović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Croatia.