On Aéro Montréal's Annual General Meeting, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, announced financial contributions totalling more than $47.45 million to support four mobilizing projects in the Québec aerospace industry. These major investments are intended to promote the development of new technologies related to the aircraft of tomorrow and sustainable mobility in aerospace. The event took place at the École nationale d'aérotechnique, attended by more than 200 players from the Québec aerospace industry.

Supporting collaborative innovation for the advancement of Québec aerospace industry

As Aéro Montréal reviewed the cluster 2022's achievements and highlighted the success of its eco-responsibility initiative promoting a more responsible approach by SMEs, the Québec government confirmed its commitment to support responsible collaborative innovation.

By supporting these four mobilizing projects, whose total investments are estimated at more than $94.9 million, the Québec government is enabling eight companies to combine their efforts to carry out projects for the development of products, technological solutions and innovative processes, while involving universities, public research centers and SMEs. These mobilizing projects were selected following a call for projects launched by the government in July 2022 to support the development of technologies related to the transportation of tomorrow. Stream 3 of the call aims to support mobilizing technological projects related to the aircraft of tomorrow. The planning, monitoring and control of activities related to these mobilizing projects will be carried out by SA²GE, the Regroupement pour le développement de l'avion plus écologique.

" Quebec's aerospace industry stands out for its ability to innovate, particularly in the area of sustainable mobility. Through these mobilizing projects, we are taking a step further toward making the aircraft of tomorrow a reality and thus reducing GHG emissions in Québec and internationally," said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region.

Mélanie Lussier, President and CEO of Aéro Montréal, added: "Québec companies must invest in innovation to remain competitive. The Québec government's support is a strong signal to our members, who for many years have been committed to contributing to a more sustainable economy and who are innovating to ensure better access to Québec products and services, including in remote areas. We must seize the opportunity offered by Québec's well-developed network of companies, researchers and research institutes to create synergies among the players and offer ever more innovative solutions to meet the current needs of our society."

Supported mobilizing projects at a glance

Aquarel 3 Project – Les dirigeables Flying Whales Québec inc. and Thales Canada

Les dirigeables Flying Whales Québec inc. and Thales Canada are partnering on the AQUAREL 3 project to further develop the control systems that will be integrated into the Flying Whales airship, the LCA60T, a next-generation aircraft for point-to-point transport of heavy or bulky loads in remote or landlocked areas while minimizing the environmental footprint. This mobilizing project will enable the two partners to develop an ultra-compact electric flight control system and a state-of-the-art connected avionics suite.

CADAQ-100 Project - Airbus Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada and SAF+ Consortium

The CADAQ-100 mobilization project brings together three companies operating in Québec, Airbus Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada and SAF+ Consortium, with the aim of supporting greater utilization of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The collaborative project will study and test multiple varieties of SAF, including in-flight testing of 100% pure "unblended" SAF on the Airbus A220 aircraft propelled by Pratt & Whitney GTFMC engines, and e-SAF manufactured by the Power to Liquid (PtL) process, as developed by the SAF+ Consortium. Also, the project will include economic feasibility studies for establishing a commercial SAF production plant in Québec, providing a local, sustainable facility to help decarbonize the aviation industry, which is the SAF+ Consortium's ultimate aim.

CMC Electronics and Bell Textron Canada Ltd. Project

The proposal from the Bell Textron Canada Limited and CMC Electronics team includes the development of systems to perform autonomous hybrid electric-powered logistics missions. The goal of this project is to develop a portfolio of technologies to address energy efficiency, air traffic management system adaptability, and safety issues related to future autonomous aircraft.

CSAF Project - Bombardier and Thales Canada

The CSAF (Control System for the Aircraft of the Future) project, a collaboration between Bombardier and Thales Canada, Avionics, aims to create a control platform for tomorrow's aircraft with a reduced environmental footprint. The project focuses on the development of a modular airborne systems testbed for new control architectures, to optimize weight, volume and power requirements on board and to enable new design approaches enhancing aircraft's environmental performance.

"SA2GE, the Regroupement pour le développement de l'avion plus écologique, is pleased to contribute to the development of aircraft technologies of the future, thanks to the know-how of its partners, said Ghislain Lafrance, president of the Regroupement. Collaborative and mobilizing innovation remains the driving force behind the aerospace industry, a key sector of Québec's economic development."

Aéro Montréal's Annual General Meeting was also an opportunity to highlight the many achievements of the cluster in 2022 as well as the extensive involvement of industry members in the various working groups and committees. This involvement includes more than 410 hours of work for total in-kind contributions estimated at nearly $860,520.