Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good afternoon and thank you for having invited me to discuss Canada's new generation of fighter jets, the F-35. CAE would like to reiterate its support for this program, which represents a very significant military procurement opportunity for the Canadian aerospace industry.
Before indicating what this program could represent for CAE, here is some information on our corporation.
CAE is a world leader in the area of simulation technology, modelling, and integrated training solutions for civil aviation and defence forces throughout the world. We provide pilots with training solutions, and we make sure that they are always prepared to deal with the unexpected. We build simulators, and we provide a full range of training services like in-class instruction and simulator training. We also provide our clients throughout the world with training solutions, and maintenance technicians.
CAE is a world leader with 7,500 employees in more than 20 countries and with revenues of C$1.5 billion. Our head office is located in Montreal, and we have 3,500 employees in Canada. In fact, we are the largest Canadian corporation working in the defence sector in Canada.
At present, we are under contract to provide air crew training for the CC-130J and the CH-147.
The fact that we were awarded these contracts has helped CAE bid and win contracts for six additional C-130 simulators around the world, including one for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. Overall, it has also enabled us to award contracts to many other Canadian companies, out west, in Ontario, in Quebec, and in the Atlantic provinces.
With the purchase of the F-35, Canadian companies should be in a position to bid for work, not only on the production of the 65 aircraft bought by Canada but also for the full global production, estimated at over 3,000 planes and up to 5,000 planes. As a world leader in training solutions, CAE would like the opportunity to offer pilot and maintenance technician training solutions for the JSF. We believe it is important that our Canadian pilots and maintenance technicians be trained according to the best practices and ethos of the Canadian Forces. This will also be more cost effective for Canada as we take advantage of numerous synergies by leveraging common technologies and solutions across the C-130J and the CH-147.
We have full confidence in our company's ability to compete with anyone else in the world. We look forward to the opportunity to bid on the pilot and maintenance training, not just for Canada but for other countries as well. If our bid is successful, it will mean thousands of person years of work for our employees and our Canadian partners.
We are excited by this opportunity and hope it moves forward in a timely manner. As participating countries confirm their orders, they will then look to secure their training support.
While CAE is already in a position to do so in Canada, our efforts to win similar international contracts will be greatly enhanced.
Thank you for listening, and I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.