The overseas delivery of a made-in-Northern Ontario aircraft to the Malaysian government may open doors to keep workers at Bombardier Aerospace's North Bay assembly plant busy for a while.
Malaysia's coast guard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, took delivery of the first of two Bombardier 415 MP amphibious aircraft, Jan. 23.
Bombardier Aerospace president Michel Bourgeois was present at a ceremony in Subang Jaya, Malaysia to hand over the aircraft to government officials.
Originally designed as waterbombers to fight forest fires, this 415 aircraft is specially equipped for surveillance capabilities with two side-looking airborne radars, one forward-looking infrared radar and various other surveillance, avionics and communications equipment.
Marketed by Bombardier as a multi-purpose aircraft, it can be used for search and rescue, environmental protection, coastal patrol and basic transportation. The aircraft is fitted with sophisticated sensors to locate and identify vessels, people in distress and pollutants.
Most of the 415 sales have been to the Mediterranean region, but the Montreal-based aircraft manufacturer considers Malaysia, a "launch customer" for future sales in Asia of these specially modified aircraft.
Since 1994, Bombardier has delivered 69 of these aircraft to Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ontario and Quebec.
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