Industry minister won't say whether new military planes will be a sole-source deal

On Tuesday, Champagne told reporters in Ottawa the federal government has made no decision so far on whether Bombardier Inc. will have a chance to submit a proposal on new reconnaissance aircraft.

For months, Bombardier CEO Éric Martel has been pushing Ottawa to put out a call for tenders as he promotes the company's still non-existent surveillance plane over a Boeing Co. alternative — the apparent frontrunner. Bombardier joined forces earlier this year with U.S.-based General Dynamics on a patrol aircraft, a modified Global 6500 business jet with submarine-hunting technology, which they hope will supplant the Royal Canadian Air Force's 14 CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol planes in the early 2030s.

However, Public Services and Procurement Canada describes Boeing's P-8A Poseidons as the only currently available aircraft that meets all of the military's operational requirements — particularly around intelligence gathering, surveillance and anti-submarine warfare. Martel is set to appear before the House of Commons defence committee this afternoon following a speech at the annual Canadian Aerospace Summit.The Canadian Press

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