2010s - The training-intensive 2010s

Expansion of its global training network, together with notable acquisitions and product innovations throughout the 2010s, secured CAE’s position as a worldwide leader and training partner of choice in civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare.

CAE’s training services grew to 60% of its revenues, and the business reached revenues of over C$2 billion for the first time in the company’s history. Underscoring CAE’s position as the largest civil aviation training company in the world, CAE delivered a record one million-plus hours of training in FY2019, operating over 280 full-flight simulators at more than 50 locations.

CAE solidified its position as the global leader in proprietary healthcare simulation technologies, acquiring Sarasota-based Medical Education Technologies Inc. in 2011. CAE sold its mining division in July 2015, acquiring Bombardier’s Military Aviation Training unit in October, followed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Flight Training in early 2016. Expansion of CAE’s global civil aviation and defence training network over the decade included the addition of training facilities in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and the UAE.

From FY18-20, CAE completed 12 acquisitions and joint venture transactions, including the 2019 purchase of Bombardier’s Business Aircraft Training business ― a transformative move that greatly expanded CAE’s position in business aviation training and the company’s biggest acquisition at the time.

CAE made several notable training technology advances to its product portfolios, including:

CAE Civil Aviation Training Solutions

•  CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulator, equipped with the unprecedented realism of the CAE Tropos™ 6000XR extreme visual system
• CAE 600XR Series flight training device, providing the highest fidelity in the fixed-based training market and setting new standards for initial and recurrent pilot training
• CAE Rise^TM, a data-driven training system that leverages analytics to make pilot training more effective and provide the safest operational environments

CAE Defence & Security

• CAE Predator Mission Trainer, representing a new level of fidelity and capability in the use of synthetic training for remotely piloted aircraft pilots and sensor operators
• CAE 700MR Series mission reality flight training device for military helicopter flight and mission training
• CAE Medallion™ MR e-Series Visual System, a complete and turnkey visual solution designed specifically for military fighter and fast-jet training

CAE Healthcare

• CAE VimedixAR™, the first ultrasound simulator with real-time interactive holograms of human anatomy
• CAE Anesthesia SimSTAT – Trauma, the initial module of a first-of-its-kind interactive simulation product suite
• LucinaAR™, the world's first augmented reality childbirth simulator

In August 2018, CAE unveiled its plan to invest C$1 billion over the next five years in innovation to develop next-generation training solutions for aviation, defence and security, and healthcare. The plan featured Project Digital Intelligence, a program to transform the customer experience by leveraging data analytics, artificial intelligence, and other digital and machine learning breakthroughs.

CAE further advanced its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) throughout the 2010s, with concrete actions, policies, programs, and initiatives rooted in its core CSR values.

To help address the challenges of gender diversity and global pilot demand, the company launched the CAE Women in Flight scholarship program. As ambassadors, scholarship winners inspire the next generation of women pilots by promoting the pilot profession among women and encouraging diversity in aviation. CAE reached an additional diversity and inclusion milestone when it was included on the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, which highlighted at the time 230 companies that are trailblazers in their commitment to transparency in workplace gender reporting.

CAE concluded the decade with the monumental announcement of its intention to become carbon neutral in Summer 2020, with the ambition to become a sustainability leader by taking proactive actions to minimize the impact of its operations on climate change and providing solutions that support its stakeholders’ environmental strategy.