Given Arcfield Canada’s proven track record in maintaining the RCAF’s current fighter fleet, it is a natural fit for the company to support the CF-35 as it enters service.

ARCFIELD CANADA: Ready and Able to Support Canada’s New CF-35s

BY JAMES CARELESS

For over 35 years, Arcfield Canada has provided avionics service and support for the RCAF’s CF-18 fighter fleet, ensuring these aircraft remain operational in the most difficult and challenging environments. “Our commitment to excellence has positioned us at the forefront of CF-18 fighter sustainment since the fleet’s inception,” said Jacques Comtois, Vice President of Canadian Operations. (He is in charge of Arcfield Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield.) “No Canadian company has been closer, for longer, to the Canadian fighter fleet than Arcfield.”

            In 2026, the RCAF will begin receiving the first four of 88 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighters (referred as CF-35 in RCAF nomenclature) as it moves to phase out the CF-18 by 2032. Given Arcfield Canada’s proven track record in maintaining the RCAF’s current fighter fleet, it is a natural fit for the company to support the CF-35 as it enters service.

Arcfield Canada is proposing to do so in partnership with OneLogistics, the operator of the European Regional F-35 warehouse, and the largest F-35 supply chain manager outside of the US. “We are ready to continue the meat and potatoes support of the RCAF’s fleet in the future as we have done in the past and are doing in the present,” Comtois told CDR.

WHAT ARCFIELD CAN OFFER

To understand why Arcfield is well positioned to support the CF-35, it’s important to first look at the company as a whole. According to Arcfield’s website, “We solve the most complex and demanding national security and space-related challenges, providing innovative solutions for air, sea, land, space, and cyber domains in support of our customers’ most critical missions.”

To meet these diverse needs, Arcfield employs around 1,600 staff members in the United States and Canada. Of this team, 95% hold secret security clearance, 30% have advanced degrees, and 27% are military veterans. The company provides support and solutions to customers in the areas of Defence, Space, Intelligence, Federal Civilian, and Commercial.

Headquartered in Calgary, Arcfield Canada is this nation’s only prime contractor providing comprehensive in-service support for the entire CF-18 fighter aircraft avionics suite and associated test equipment. “We provide complete lifecycle sustainment and full fleet supply chain management (SCM) with integrated logistics support, innovative engineering solutions, and comprehensive avionics maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade (MRO&U),” said Jacques Comtois. “Arcfield takes great pride in being the supplier of choice for Canada’s CF-18 fleet, as well as other F/A-18 operators worldwide (the model of F-18 used by the RCAF). Our esteemed clientele includes the armed forces of Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.”

SOLID CF-18 SUPPORT

While Canada waits for its new CF-35 fighters to come online, the RCAF continues to rely on its CF-18 fleet, with critical support from suppliers like Arcfield Canada. This is why the Canadian government has invested up to $211.6 million in Arcfield Canada’s Calgary facility to sustain the RCAF fleet.

Announced on March 7, 2024, the new contract will ensure that avionics spare parts remain readily available to CF-18 technicians. Arcfield Canada will also continue to provide end-to-end supply chain services, including planning, purchasing, warehouse management, and spare parts repair. Arcfield Canada’s engineering and technical services will support effective repairs in the field and ensure that RCAF personnel have access to the up-to-date technical publications they need to maintain the CF-18.

READ: Arcfield Canada Awarded $211.6M Contract for CF-18 Avionics In-Service Support

“This major investment in Calgary’s Arcfield Canada will support Canada’s world-class defence and aviation industry, sustain good jobs for Albertans and Canadians, and ultimately, ensure that our Royal Canadian Air Force’s fighter fleet can meet its operational commitments,” said DND Minister Bill Blair at the time. “Together with our industry partners, we are ensuring that Canadian Armed Forces members have the tools that they need to do their jobs and keep our country safe.”

“An integral component of Canada’s defence, the CF-18 has provided outstanding service at home and abroad for decades relying upon dedicated RCAF maintenance technicians and sustainment provided by our essential industry partners,” added RCAF Commander Lieutenant-General Eric.J. Kenny. “This foundational sustainment will now continue with the award of this contract to a trusted partner, Arcfield Canada.”

This contract is just the latest endorsement of Arcfield Canada’s capabilities by the Canadian government. In 2022, Ottawa awarded the company a $50 million contract to extend its execution of the RCAF’s CF-18 Avionics (AVS) Optimized Weapon System Support (OWSS) program. That contract expired in March 2024, which was why the new $211.6 million contract was awarded.

Worth noting: Arcfield Canada has attained four technical airworthiness accreditations for the CF-18, the most of any Canadian company for a single platform. Arcfield Canada is also ISO9001:2015 and AS9100D certified and complies with Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards.

In addition, Arcfield Canada continues to invest in its CF-18 support infrastructure. In April 2023, the company expanded its La Baie, Quebec warehouse (which supports 3 Wing Bagotville) to 25,000 square feet. Just four months later, Arcfield Canada cut the ribbon at its new warehouse facility at 4 Wing Cold Lake.

            “Arcfield Canada’s primary focus on in-service support and integrated logistics support sets us apart from other defence businesses,” Comtois observed. “Our expertise in SCM and enterprise systems integration with the Department of National Defence enables the RCAF CF-18 program office to have real-time access to its inventory within Arcfield’s supply chain. We are the only company in Canada that currently manages the largest allocation of Government Furnished Equipment at our four warehouses located across the country.”

Arcfield Canada is also fully integrated in the RCAF’s management system, allowing the company to play a crucial role in supporting the CAF’s vital missions and their NORAD/NATO commitments. “We are the OEM for the CF-18’s Automatic Test Equipment, which is essential for avionics repair, meeting previous challenges faced by the CAF for hardware replacements and software upgrades,” said Comtois.

READY TO SUPPORT THE CF-35

“When the first CF-35 aircraft enters service in Canada, there will be need for a significant shift in the country’s approach to in-service support,” Comtois told CDR. “This change is necessary to align with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Global Support Solution (GSS), which offers a comprehensive and cost-effective support framework through global asset pooling. This transition will require careful planning and coordination to ensure smooth integration.”

READ: Arcfield Canada and OneLogistics Partner to Support Canada’s F-35 Program

For the record, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 GSS is a single, integrated framework designed to maximize the affordability of the F-35/CF-35’s through the globalized pooling of parts. The system provides common, unique, and tailorable elements to support performance-based agreements with each partner, minimizing user costs.

The Canadian government will need to select a prime contractor that is capable of meeting F-35 GSS requirements. Given its experience with the CF-18, Arcfield Canada believes it is best suited to be the prime contractor on this project. The reason? “The F-35 GSS consists of various elements that can be customized to meet the specific needs of each partner country,” Comtois explained. “Adapting the F-35 GSS to meet Canada’s unique sovereign requirements and national interests will require the expertise of Arcfield Canada, particularly in the area of Canadian fighter operations. We know what it takes to properly support a fighter fleet thanks to our work on the CF-18, and we have the right elements in place to do the same for the CF-35 in compliance with the F-35 GSS.”

THE RIGHT PARTNER

To maximize its knowledge base, Arcfield Canada has partnered with OneLogistics, a Dutch company with extensive experience in F-35 GSS support.

“Since 2015 OneLogistics has led the Netherlands effort in providing sustainment supply chain solutions for the F-35 program,” noted OneLogistics’ website. In 2019 the US Department of Defense selected the Netherlands to store, ship and manage spare parts for over 500 F-35s, with OneLogistics overseeing European supply chain support for the F-35 sustainment program.

            Through its partnership with OneLogistics, Arcfield Canada will tailor company’s proven F-35 support software to provision the RCAF’s CF-35 fleet, giving Canada a head start in supporting the new aircraft, rather than having to spend time and money developing an app of its own.

            Jacques Comtois is candid about Arcfield Canada’s unequivocal desire to support the CF-35. “One of our primary objectives is to secure new Department of National Defense contracts for the CF-35 program,” he told CDR. “This will allow us to maintain our longstanding reputation as the prime contractor, providing the CAF and RCAF with the most efficient and reliable sustainment solutions. Specifically, Arcfield’s vision is to provide a turnkey solution to meet the supply chain management and logistics objectives to enhance the overall efficiency of the F-35 GSS in Canada. Our goal is to support the Government of Canada’s economic objectives and the RCAF’s operational goals for the maintenance and logistics of the Canadian CF-35 program. And we are equipped to provide leading-edge warehousing facilities and fully integrated logistics solutions customized to meet the specific needs of Canadian F-35 operations.”

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

The fact that the clock is ticking on the first CF-35 delivery to Canada means that Ottawa must act quickly in choosing a Canadian prime contractor for aircraft support. According to Comtois, there’s no time for a typically long and drawn-out Canadian procurement process to fulfill this role. The CF-35s will be arriving soon and they will need immediate support!

            “If you’re not ready for that first aircraft arrival, which means basically having a supply chain manager in place that is vetted and ready to go, that aircraft will arrive and — aircraft being aircraft — there’s bound to be a need for at least one or more parts to be replaced to make sure that the aircraft remains serviceable,” he said. “I would go even further than that: I don’t think the F-35 program would allow aircraft to be delivered to Canada without an in-service support network being in place to receive and support the aircraft.”

             At the risk of being repetitive, Arcfield Canada wants to be the company providing that in-service support network. This is precisely and specifically why it has partnered up with OneLogistics, making Arcfield Canada the undisputedly clear and logical choice for this role.

“Our partnership with OneLogistics, a respected European partner that brings extensive knowledge of the F-35 GSS and proven sustainment solutions, combined with Arcfield Canada’s experience in providing sustainment services to the CF-18 fleet, provides a unique combination of expertise to support Canada’s incoming CF-35 fleet,” emphasized Comtois. “The F-35 GSS will require a paradigm shift in Canada’s sustainment philosophy while ensuring that the CF-35 sustainment challenges that are unique to Canada are being met. Fortunately, the partnership between Arcfield and OneLogistics can deliver a proven sustainment solution tailored to the unique requirements of Canadian CF-35 operations, based on the successful F-35 model in place and functioning in Europe since 2019.”

            To drive his point home, Jacques Comtois reiterated that time is running out for Canada to get its CF-35 act together. “The F-35 GSS requires Base Supply and Aircraft Maintenance Support Equipment (AMSE) support to be in place before First Aircraft Arrival (FAA) as part of Site Activation,” he said. “Arcfield, in partnership with OneLogistics, offers unmatched F-35 sustainment expertise and is the only viable Canadian partner for Base Supply and AMSE under GSS. As Canada’s only prime contractor for fighter platform avionics sustainment and nose-to-tail supply chain management for the CF-18, our distinguished legacy in supporting fighter platforms, coupled with our strategic partnerships within the global fighter community, positions Arcfield as the logical and reliable choice to support Canada’s incoming CF-35 fighter fleet and reduce any transition risks. We call this the ‘Arcfield Advantage!’”

TANGIBLE BENEFITS

In the pragmatic reality that is Canadian defence procurement, military purchases have to do as much to bolster the economy and employment levels as they do to defend Canada’s borders.

No problem: According to the company, Arcfield Canada’s vision for sustaining the CF-35 fleet aims to address the RCAF’s operational outcomes and the Government of Canada’s economic goals. “For instance, we project that more than 100 direct jobs would be created in Canada by Arcfield Canada being the prime contractor on this project,” said Comtois. “These jobs would support the long-term growth and sustainability of Canada’s defence industry.”

Winning the CF-35 in-service support contract would also provide Arcfield Canada employees with long-term skills development and training in emerging technologies. This would enhance their employment opportunities over the lifespans of their careers.

As well, since Arcfield Canada is based in Calgary, winning the contract would help diversify the economy across Western Canada. For example, “we would pursue innovation in the key industrial capability of in-service support by using Artificial Intelligence to support logistics planning and materiel management,” Comtois said. “We would also support the introduction of Cyber Resilience into the Canadian logistics stream, including assistance to supplier development of Canadian Small and Medium Businesses, and Indigenous companies. We could also market our subsequent know-how to the international community, leading to the export of Canadian solutions.”

            Beyond these specific benefits, Arcfield Canada’s related ventures could also positively impact the CF-35 program, and the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole.

 A case in point: In 2023, Arcfield acquired Orion Space Solutions, marking a significant step towards expanding the company’s space programs. “By integrating Orion’s advanced space capabilities, we aim to address growing defence requirements such as satellite communications, early warning systems, and space surveillance,” Comtois told CDR. “These services will enable us to enhance our offerings and provide innovative defence solutions to meet the evolving needs of the industry and support new pursuits in the market.”

Meanwhile, Arcfield’s Purifile software, equipped with military-grade data exfiltration and threat infiltration technology, can strengthen cybersecurity measures for the CF-35 operations. “This advanced software offers innovative solutions for safeguarding classified data, ensuring the utmost security for the aircraft,” Comtois said. “We are actively seeking out new opportunities to fortify the cybersecurity framework of the Canadian Armed Forces and supplement the services that we already provide with robust cybersecurity systems and the potential to work with other agencies like the RCMP and the Canadian Space Agency.”

Finally, thanks to the fact that Arcfield is a provider of platform-agnostic sustainment solutions and performance-based logistics, the company’s comprehensive capabilities can be easily replicated for any defence program across air, land, or sea. “As such, Arcfield is strategically positioned to deliver revolutionary technologies to safeguard critical infrastructure, including applications in surveillance, cyber defence, and air defence. In general, we are enhancing our cyber defence services to encompass space defence systems, radar and satellite communications, and advanced cybersecurity platforms. These offerings provide robust supply chain strategies to mitigate threats and ensure seamless continuity of operations,” said Comtois.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW

In this article, Jacques Comtois has made a strong, multifaceted, and comprehensive case for Arcfield Canada being awarded the in-service support contract for the CF-35. It’s a hard case to beat: His company has a proven record of delivering on its promises to the RCAF. As a CF-18 in-service support provider, Arcfield Canada has the facilities, skilled technicians, and logistics structure in place to support the CF-35, and it has a knowledgeable partner in the form of OneLogistics who has been providing this level of support in Europe for the last six years.

In other words, Arcfield Canada has truly done its homework in preparing its bid for the CF-35 in service support contract. And although sole-sourcing is an option that makes civil servants’ blood run cold, the imminent arrival of Canada’s first CF-35s makes this option a logical choice in this instance. This nation just doesn’t have the time to spend a decade deciding this through a competitive process. Comtois is right: the clock is ticking.

With all of these factors being on his side, it is perhaps not surprising that Jacques Comtois is seeing Arcfield Canada winning the CF-35 in-service support contract as a realistic possibility in the months to come. “We envision a future where we will uphold our strong legacy of servicing Canada’s fighter aircraft program, both domestically and internationally,” he said. “Our goal is to expand our business and warehouses across Canada to accommodate new hires and ensure a seamless transition from the current fighter fleet to the CF-35 with minimal operational interruption, and offering the same support to our international partners who have also transitioned to the F-35 platform.”

James Carless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief