CCC and France sign contract for De Havilland Aircraft of Canada planes

OTTAWA — CCC announces the signing of a government to government (G2G) contract with France’s DGA – La direction générale de l’Armement (DGA) du ministère français des Armées – a branch of the defence ministry for the sale of two (2) DHC-515 FIREFIGHTER™ aircraft manufactured by De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC). Through CCC’s G2G contract, DHC will supply the waterbombers to France, along with spare parts, training, and maintenance support.

In recent years, France has experienced a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, largely attributed to climate change and shifting weather patterns. The new waterbombers will help reinforce the country’s firefighting resources as the effects of climate change continue to take hold.

The DHC-515 FIREFIGHTER™ aircraft can deliver water that is reportedly more than double that of its closest competitor.

This acquisition of Canadian waterbombers by France 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 waterbombers. RescEU is supporting the acquisition of 12 DHC-515 aircraft for Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Spain and France with a total of twenty-two (22) DHC-515 aircraft purchased through CCC.

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.

“The DHC-515 represents the best that Canadian aerospace engineering has to offer and CCC is proud to help the government of France protect its people against wildfires with the next generation aerial firefighting aircraft,” says Kim Douglas, VP of Business Development and Marketing, CCC.

“For decades, the Canadair aircraft have been the backbone of the French firefighting fleet. We are proud that France has once again selected the latest version of the Canadair, the DHC-515, to help protect the people and property of the country,” says Jean-Philippe Côté, Vice President, Programs and Business Improvement, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada.