MAS and Lockheed Martin have announced a new partnership to establish an F-35 Air Vehicle Depot in Quebec, signed by MAS General Manager Ugo Paniconi and F-35 Customer Programs Vice President Marshall Shepard. Also pictured are ISR President Jason Lambert and F-35 Lightning II Program Vice President and General Manager Chauncey McIntosh. Image source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-features/MAS_and_Lockheed_Martin_Announce_F-35_Sustainment_Partnership_in_Quebec.htmlIn a move that underscores this reality, the Defence Investment Agency (DIA) has awarded a $32-million contract to MDA Space of Richmond, British Columbia, to deliver a ground-based optical capability for the Surveillance of Space 2 (SofS 2) project. The announcement, made by the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement), signals a decisive step forward in Canada’s effort to strengthen space domain awareness while advancing its broader Defence Industrial Strategy.
On April 21, 2026, Canada’s future F-35 Lightning II fleet gained a major domestic boost this week as MAS, an L3Harris Technologies company, and Lockheed Martin announced a new framework for collaboration and information sharing aimed at establishing an F-35 Air Vehicle Depot in Canada.
The agreement expands on Canada’s earlier selection of MAS as a strategic CF-35 sustainment partner. At the center of the new arrangement is a joint executive steering committee that will help define depot capabilities, workforce training programs, and long-term sustainment solutions.
If completed as planned, the depot would strengthen Canada’s ability to manage aircraft upkeep domestically while creating highly skilled aerospace jobs in Quebec and beyond.
The initiative also carries significant industrial potential. The depot is expected to anchor a network of approximately 30 Canadian suppliers contributing $3.2 million per jet across the global fleet of more than 1,325 F-35 aircraft already in service.
That places Canada in a strategically valuable position within one of the world’s most significant defence aviation ecosystems. The F-35 remains a central platform for allied air forces, with 20 nations committed to purchasing more than 3,500 aircraft.
For MAS parent company L3Harris, the announcement adds to a longstanding presence in the country. The company says it has supported Canada’s aerospace and defence sectors for more than six decades.
“Depot-level sustainment means Canada’s aerospace workforce will perform the same advanced maintenance currently done in only a handful of locations worldwide,” said Jason Lambert, President, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, L3Harris. “Our 40-year fighter sustainment heritage, combined with Lockheed Martin’s 5th Generation expertise, makes this the right partnership at the right time.”
“This collaboration delivers on Canada’s requirement to develop in-country sustainment capability and to operate and maintain the Canadian F-35 fleet independently,” said Chauncey McIntosh, Vice President and General Manager, F-35 Program, Lockheed Martin. “With Lockheed Martin’s experience establishing sustainment capabilities around the world, our joint effort with MAS is expected to deliver fleet readiness, air superiority and increased economic benefits.”
As Canada moves forward with its next-generation fighter program, the Mirabel partnership signals that sustainment — not just procurement — is becoming a core part of the country’s defence strategy.
