Bombardier’s footprint in Wichita includes an expanding service centre that supports Bombardier’s entire family of Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets.
The site also continues to operate one of the world’s leading flight test centres that performs testing and certification of aircraft upgrades on all new Bombardier aircraft programs, including the ongoing certification campaign for the Challenger 3500 jet.
Wichita is also home to the newly renamed Bombardier Defense, reflecting the company’s strategic expansion of its existing Specialized Aircraft division.
With the reinvented Bombardier Defense, led by Steve Patrick – Vice President Bombardier Defense, the company will leverage Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) design, manufacturing and certification expertise to provide agile, innovative solutions hosted on Bombardier’s class leading aircraft platforms.
This centre of excellence for defense applications, technology and innovation fully leverages the Wichita workforce and local industry.
Bombardier Defense today also confirmed additional firm orders for modified versions of its Global 6000 aircraft, as part of a potential $465 million USD order from the United States Air Force (USAF) in support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program.
Last year, Bombardier was awarded the sole-source engineering and modification Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract from the USAF to modify up to six Global 6000 business jets to become E11-A BACN platforms.
Bombardier Defense will continue to leverage Wichita’s highly reputed expertise to provide in-service support and upgrades to the USAF’s expanding BACN fleet, underscoring Bombardier’s status as a key U.S. aerospace employer.
“Wichita was the obvious choice as the home of Bombardier’s new U.S. Headquarters and Bombardier Defense,” said Éric Martel, President and CEO, Bombardier.
“For more than 60 years, the established skills and expertise from the Air Capital of the World is second to none, and this latest confirmation from the United States Air Force is a testament to the confidence they have in our aircraft and importantly, in the strength of our people in Wichita.”
With the announcement of Wichita as the company’s U.S. Headquarters, Bombardier also announced today that Tonya Sudduth, former Vice President of Operations, Wichita site, has accepted the newly created role of Head of U.S. Strategy. Based in Wichita