It's been a long time since aircraft manufacturer De Havilland's stand was so crowded at the Farnborough International Airshow, outside London, on Tuesday, July 19. The Canadian group, a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital, is the manufacturer of the famous Canadair. And today, these water bombers are in great demand, as fires rage around the world, particularly in France, where they have already burned through more than 20,000 hectares.
Standing in the middle of the booth with his Quebec lumberjack stature, Jean-Philippe Côté, vice-president of the De Havilland Canada program, is smiling: Business is picking up. The company that was "one of the very first Canadian aviation companies," as the manager proudly recalled, had very little activity for many years. "It's been almost 10 years since any Canadair was sold or delivered," he said. But those days are over. After "18 months of talks," the vice-president added, six European Union countries – France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Spain and Portugal – have placed orders for 22 water bombers. This grouped contract comes after an order from Indonesia for six of the same aircraft.
This growing list of orders has, at last, led the aircraft manufacturer to decide to "relaunch the production line" of its latest model, the Canadair DHC 515. These few years of guaranteed production were certainly the prerequisite for De Havilland to give the green light to "a major investment," although it refuses to specify the amount. At list price, the DHC 515 is billed at around 35 million dollars.
First deliveries 'as early as 2026'
Contrary to what seems to have been originally planne , these new planes will not replace but rather reinforce the 12 older generation Canadairs that make up the French water bomber fleet. And this fleet is far from new: More than two thirds of the seaplanes have been in service for more than 25 years. However, this is not a cause for concern, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer points out. Of the 220 Canadairs produced since their launch in 1969, Mr. Côté said, "there are still 160 in service, half of which are operated in Europe and half in North America." Since the 1970s, the Canadair's various owners have regularly re-engined the "Firefighter."
Faced with global warming and recurring fires, more and more countries are interested in acquiring water bombers. As per De Havilland, "There are new customers around the world who have approached us for Canadairs or for additional aircraft."
Australia, which has experienced massive fires in recent years, has expressed interest. However, the aircraft manufacturer specified that the European Union "will be delivered first." But it will have to be patient. Before being marketed, the new DHC 515 "aims for certification in 2025, so that the first deliveries can take place as early as 2026."
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