Since 2006, Aldergrove has been home to the Canadian operation of the Texas-based Advanced Integration Technology (AIT) which is building parts for the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program.

On Jan. 19 AIT staff got to meet Canada's Defense Minister Julian Fantino when he and others toured the plant, but it was a visit from Canadian military pilot Major James Kettles that helped them put the pieces together.

The lives of Canadian military members and members of Canada's military allies rely on the types of specialized equipment AIT staff construct.

Most recently that was the Electronic Mate and Assembly System, a set of positioners (essentially the world's most complicated vehicle lift for when the aircraft are being assembled) that allowed mechanics to work on F-35 aircraft. This set will be shipped to Italy.

"It's good," said millright Paolo Canlas about meeting Kettles. "It's very informative to know who uses it."

Sophia Spence said she started with AIT last year as an entry level painter, covering playwood. Since then she has worked her way up to painting the precision pieces used in the positioners, learning about all technology of something as simple as paint.

AIT is one of a growing number of specialized firms tucked away in Aldergrove that are helping create a skilled workforce.

AIT has about 50 employees at its Aldergrove shop and recently leased space in the Gloucester Industrial Park to add a machining shop. AIT started out in Port Kells in 2006 and moved east within a couple of years.

AIT president Stephen Taylor-Lewis said most of the parts for the jet positioner and its other products are constructed locally with the complex electronics sourced from around the world.

AIT is based in Texas where the design and programming work is done. Then the manufacturing is done in Aldergrove.

Taylor-Lewis said they do as much as they can in-house but if need be rely on a network of local businesses and contractors. AIT also does work for other firms such as Boeing.

AIT will end up making four sets of the positioners that will be shipped to various countries that are part of the F-35 program.

These AIT products go to Lockheed Martin which has the contract to oversee the F-35 program.

"We're producing aircraft for three different countries and five different forces," said Keith Knotts, with U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin. "We rely very heavily on Canadian industry."

Make it and take it

Canada will not only be helping to build the F-35 jets but will also be buying some, up to $9 billion worth in the coming years.

Fantino said Canada will need to replace its CF-18 jets which are about 40 years old. By being part of the Joint Strike Fighter program (since 1997), Canada is able to obtain new jets, enjoy cost savings and see an impact on the workforce, he said.

Workers and industry benefit from the high-tech jobs that are part of the program, he said.

"The return for Canada is very lucrative indeed," Fantino said.

So far 65 Canadian companies have received about $370 million in contracts related to the development of the F-35 and its various ancillary systems.

While on the West Coast Fantino also visited a Delta firm, Avcorp, which makes the outboard wings for the F-35s for carriers.

The Joint Strike Fighter program includes the U.S., Canada, Australia, Denmark, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Fantino said adding the F-35s to Canada's military is part of maintaining sovereignty but also gives Canada an advantage abroad.

Countries that must work together on international missions benefit from having the same equipment, he said.

Fantino pointed to the recent Libya campaign. Canada was able to do midair refueling for almost all of the 17 partner nations in the U.N. action.

Such equipment helps Canada meet its NATO and UN commitments, he noted.

So far more than 100 F-35s have been constructed but they are being tested before being sold. Canada will likely start buying around 2016.

Fantino said the cost of replacement aircraft would be considerably higher if Canada was developing its own aircraft and noted that the United States has paid a lot of the up-front costs for the aircraft.

"It would be absolutely irresponsible to bail out," he commented.

hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com