History
Celebrating our achievements - Aiming for the future
Rheinmetall Canada (the former Oerlikon Aerospace) was formed in April 1986 as the Canadian home for Oerlikon's business in North America. The company's first mandate was to manufacture and provide support for the Air Defence Anti-Tank System (ADATS) missile system for the Canadian Forces Low-Level Air Defence (LLAD) program, a program which was retired on 31 March 2011.
We are proud to have built and sustained this sophisticated weapon system here in Canada. This "ADATS experience" was a defining period during the company's evolution as we developed a unique blend of state-of-the-art services in systems, subsystems, software, and logistics engineering. It laid the foundation to expand into new markets, such as battle management, land defence, and homeland security.
History at a glance
The early years
1986
Creation of Oerlikon Aerospace Inc.
1986
Contract award - Canadian Forces ADATS.
1987
Contract award - United States Army for Forward Area Air Defence System.
1993-1995
Completion period of the ADATS contract; start of the system engineering support repair and overhaul contract.
Diversification phase
1999
Acquisition by Rheinmetall AG.
2000
Use of ADATS experience and technology to penetrate new niche markets.
2001
Creation of Oerlikon Transtec Inc.
2007
Opening of Ottawa office.
Name changed to Rheinmetall Canada Inc.
2009
Start of collaborative activities with the Rheinmetall Defence Group.
Contract for the MASS Multi Ammunition Softkill System for the Halifax Class Shield Replacement Program.
2010
Integration within Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH, Germany.
Procurement of the 40 mm Close Area Suppression Weapon (CASW), the army’s digitized 40 mm grenade launcher.
2011
25th anniversary of Rheinmetall Canada.
Decommissioning of the ADATS by the Canadian Army.
Integration into Rheinmetall's division Combat Systems.
A proven partner of the Canadian Armed Forces
2012
Delivery of the first Leopard vehicle and official acceptance by the government of Canada.
Signature of the TAPV contract with Textron Systems Canada Inc.
2014
Contract for the satellite on the move (SOTM) communication system for the Candian Land Command Support System Life Extension (LCSS LE) programme.
2015
Orders for the medium-range radar and an integrated soldier system to supply to the Canadian Armed Forces.
2018
Multimillion-euro order for MASS naval countermeasures system.
Rheinmetall to supply additional 1,256 Argus soldier systems to the Canadian Armed Forces.