Canada is making the world’s “most desperately needed airplane”. The only problem? There aren’t enough of them to go around.
Driving the news: Calgary-based De Havilland, the manufacturer of the Canadair water bomber aircraft, is looking to build a second production line to keep up with skyrocketing demand for the firefighting planes.
The Canadair, which has been around since the 1960s, is uniquely built to fly through narrow terrain at low altitude and scoop up thousands of litres of water directly from oceans or lakes in seconds.
As the only aircraft of its kind on the market, it has become highly sought after by countries like France and Spain that are experiencing more severe wildfires. EU countries currently have an order of 22 aircraft waiting to be delivered.
Why it matters: Canada and the rest of the world need these aircraft far faster than they can currently be built. At full capacity, De Havilland can only manufacture 10 water bombers per year, but that number would double with another production line.
De Havilland said if Ottawa committed to buying 50 aircraft, they could build a second production line tomorrow. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said that the provinces are already in talks with Ottawa to do just that.
Because the Canadair order would fall into the category of critical infrastructure, the investment would also count towards Canada’s 5% of GDP defence spending target.
Zoom out: The water bomber is a uniquely Canadian innovation that, so far, hasn’t been replicated elsewhere. If countries can’t get their hands on enough of them, there’s a good chance that a foreign competitor will emerge to fill the gap.—LA
