The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Ottawa's new defence procurement agency has awarded Montreal-based Bombardier a contract to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force with six new multipurpose aircraft. The Globe's Pippa Norman writes that the contract, valued at $753-million, will see Canada's aging CC-144 Challenger fleet replaced by six of Bombardier's Global 6500 jets. According to the federal government, the new fleet of eight-seaters will be used to "perform worldwide utility flights and support missions such as aeromedical evacuations, disaster relief, humanitarian aid and national security operations." The aircraft will be built at Bombardier's Pearson Airport facility, using contributions from more than 60 Canadian suppliers through the country's Industrial and Technological Benefits policy. It is the second contract to be awarded by the federal government's Defence Investment Agency this week, after its announcement on Tuesday of a $3-million contract for Ottawa-based Telesat and MDA Space of Brampton, Ont., to improve communications for troops stationed in the North. The first aircraft will be delivered in summer 2027, becoming operational by the end of the year.