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CAE secures $300-million U.S. Air Force training contract despite Trump procurement ban
Montreal-based CAE says its U.S. defence division will continue training C-130 Hercules aircrews through 2035, despite a Trump order targeting Canadian government procurement.
CAE Inc. says it has secured a $300-million contract to continue training U.S. Air Force crews, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to bar Canadian companies from government procurement.
The Montreal-based flight simulator maker says the contract, awarded to its U.S. defence division, extends its role as the main contractor training aircrews on the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft. CAE has held that role since 2018.
The company says pilots, flight engineers and navigators will be trained at Air Force bases in Little Rock, Ark., and in Georgia, Wyoming, Minnesota and Missouri through 2035.
The announcement follows Trump’s Sept. 16 decree barring the federal government from procuring Canadian goods. It remains unclear whether the order applies to services as well as goods, or to Canadian companies with U.S. subsidiaries.
The order marked the latest escalation in the Canada-U.S. trade war after negotiations between the two countries broke down last month.