Kelowna's KF Aerospace doesn't exactly know how big it's going to be, but it will be huge.
We're talking about KF's piece of a new $10 billion investment in the Canadian economy by Boeing to make P8-A Poseidon jets for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
"KF Aerospace is a key maintenance partner to Boeing on the program," reads a news release from the company.
"Once the aircraft is delivered and operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, KF Aerospace will be providing ongoing maintenance support at our facilities. The exact workshare and structure of that work is to-be-announced, however, we will be expecting to increase our workforce to accommodate this program."
KF Aerospace is already Kelowna's largest private-sector employer with 800 employees working at its headquarters and maintenance-and-overhaul hangars beside Kelowna International Airport.
KF Aerospace also has a maintenance and retrofit facility in Hamilton that is likely to share in the work.
"KF Aerospace's growing relationship with Boeing Company has led to more high-quality jobs at our company and increased economic benefits around our operations in British Columbia and Ontario," said KF Aerospace CEO Tracy Medve.
"This partnership empowers us to increase the skills of our workforce while continuing to establish our company as a leading Canadian aerospace firm and extend our global reach. We commend Canada's strategic decision to acquire the P-8A Poseidon as a vital upgrade for our military and we are looking forward to supporting this innovative military aircraft at our Canadian maintenance facilities."
The federal government announced today that it has chosen Boeing, the multinational aviation giant based in Seattle, to provide the Boeing P8-A Poseidon jets that will replace the aging CP-140 Auroras in the Royal Canadian Air Force's multi-mission aircraft fleet.
The Poseidon is based on the Boeing 737-800NG jet that is used as a passenger and cargo aircraft.
KF Aerospace has extensive experience with the 737-800NG, doing maintenance, repair and overhaul work on the aircraft for existing clients such as WestJet.
The Poseidon can be used by the Royal Canadian Air Force for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief response.
While Boeing secured the contract with the Government of Canada, Boeing will utilize 225 Canadian suppliers to support the production of the Poseidon.
KF Aerospace is one of those suppliers and an important one.
In all, the Poseidon program means $9.6 billion in new aerospace contracts for Boeing Winnipeg and the 225 Canadian suppliers.
There's also almost $1 billion in investment for research and development, to grow Boeing's footprint in Canada, clean technology investments, training, skills development and support.
The Poseidon project breaks down to $358 million a year of economic impact in Canada for the next decade supporting 3,000 jobs.
