Bombardier CEO expects to decide by early 2027 on Canadian site to militarize private jets

MONTREAL, July 30 (Reuters) - Bombardier expects to decide by late 2026 or early next year on a Canadian site to prepare private jets for use as special mission aircraft with partner Saab, CEO Eric Martel told reporters on Thursday.

The Canadian government has said it would buy a fleet of early warning planes from Sweden's Saab as it tries to reduce reliance on U.S. defense firms. Earlier this month, NATO announced a roughly $4.5 billion plan to buy up to 10 ‌Saab GlobalEye surveillance planes which use Bombardier's Global jets.

Martel said the site in Canada would mirror the work it does in Wichita, Kansas, where U.S. workers now convert empty aircraft with the necessary wiring, radars and other equipment required to become special mission planes.

“You can see a scenario where we do the same thing, establish ourselves somewhere in Canada to have a similar operation," Martel said. "There is an opportunity now to start this operation with the GlobalEye."

The site, which would be chosen based on workforce availability, would start with the GlobalEye but could also be modified for other missions.

“I think this is a decision that will happen either late this year or early next about the location,” he said.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in MontrealEditing by Nick Zieminski)