News
L-3 MAS: celebrating 30 years of success
November 17, 2016 By L-3 MAS
L-3 MAS celebrated recently "30 Years of Success," an important milestone in its history. Hundreds of employees, retirees and customers attended events organized by the company in this honour.
The company, originally known as Canadair Defence Services, was formed in October 1986 upon winning the Government of Canada’s long-term maintenance contract for the CF-18 Hornet. After later being acquired by Bombardier and then sold to L-3 in 2003, the company now operates under the name L-3 MAS.
During its many years of existence, the company has differentiated itself from its competitors by expanding its range of services and becoming the leading In-Service Support (ISS) integrator in Canada. The business has also been recognized worldwide for its competencies in repair and maintenance of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets. The strength of the Quebec aeronautical engineering community has contributed to its ability to develop innovative solutions, both for Canada’s Department of National Defence and for international F/A-18 operators. Its customers include Australia, Switzerland, Finland, Spain and the United States.
“These achievements were made possible by a historic decision by the Government of Canada to purchase the data rights of the CF-18 fighter jet aircraft,” said Jacques Comtois, vice president and general manager of L-3 MAS. “This initiative not only allowed us to develop our competencies and solve structural problems encountered on the Canadian CF-18 fleet with innovative solutions, but to export our knowledge to other operators and expand our service offerings to capture new markets. Today, we are proud to be the premier ISS integrator in Canada and to offer a full line of products and services, including engineering, integration of special-mission equipment, component repair and overhaul, fleet management, prototyping and testing, and technical publications. Over time, we have won major ISS contracts on fleets of CC-150 Polaris tanker aircraft, CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopters, CT-114 Tutor trainer aircraft and CH-147F Chinook transport helicopters. I am especially proud to work with a team of passionate and engaged employees, who have served our customers well with a focus on quality, dedication and service, allowing us to obtain these significant contracts.”
L-3 MAS is a Mirabel company active in the aeronautics and defence industries for more than 30 years. It employs more than 700 people across Canada.
