TPS Canada Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, the International Test Pilots School (ITPS) based in London, Ontario, and the International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC), has achieved accreditation under NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE), following a comprehensive evaluation of its training capabilities and operating environment.
This milestone provides ITPS Canada with independent recognition of the standards underpinning its international aerospace training operations. NATO Flight Training Europe is a multinational initiative to provide NATO nations with access to a network of high-quality military aviation training capabilities.
ITPS has also signed collaboration agreements with the Odesa Aircraft Plant and JSC Ukrainian Defence Industry, known as Ukroboronprom. This partnership strengthens ITPS’s links with the Ukrainian aerospace industry and supports the continued development of its L-39 upgrade, overhaul and sustainment capabilities for its own fleet and international customers.
At the same time, ITPS is continuing to strengthen its relationship with the Nigerian Air Force, which includes professional exchanges and reciprocal visits, the delivery of an Introduction to Flight Test Course in Nigeria in November 2025, a Military Airworthiness Seminar in Abuja earlier in 2026, and an April visit by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, to the ITPS in Canada. The South African Air Force is also amongst ITPS customers, and has sent multiple pilots and engineers to its facility in Canada over the years.
ITPS’s 14-strong L-39C Albatros fleet has been upgraded with full-colour touchscreen displays and hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls. Simulation is heavily incorporated into all training programs, and the school employs virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) to boost training effectiveness.
On 3 September 2026, the first flight of the Advanced Controls Evaluator (ACE), the culmination of our Variable Stability System (VSS) programme, took place in London. ACE is a four-axis digital fly-by-wire Variable Stability System designed to let instructors configure pitch, roll, yaw and throttle response. Once introduced into training, students will be able to experience and compare multiple aircraft behaviours during a single jet sortie. The company said its first flight was a defining moment for ITPS’s capability and its contribution to the global flight test community.
ITPS also operates three Hunter T.7As upgraded with a glass cockpit, modern multifunction displays (MFDs), and Hands-On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS), as well as a fleet of helicopters and UAVs.
by David Oliver
