The Canadian government has chosen the F-35 as its preferred replacement for the air force’s dated CF-18 fighters and will open negotiations with manufacturer Lockheed Martin..Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the long-awaited decision at a news conference on Monday..“It is critical that current and future Royal Canadian Air Force pilots have the most advanced equipment available to ensure they can deliver on the important work that we ask of them,” Anand said..Anand said the procurement project, the largest in Canada in over three decades, will ensure Canada can “continue to defend North America, enhance our Arctic sovereignty and meet our NATO and NORAD obligations in the face of current and emerging threats.”.Canada has plans to buy 88 new fighter jets to replace its four-decade-old CF-18s. The federal government has budgeted up to $19 billion for the purchase..Along with the US, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Italy, Norway, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands have all ordered or purchased F-35s.If negotiations with Lockheed Martin break down, the government has the option to enter into talks with Saab for their Gripen fighters, which came in second to the F-35s in the competition..“This procurement has been an open, transparent, competitive and rigorous process, for a simple reason,” Anand said. “We need the right aircraft at the right price. This has been a hard-fought competition, and we thank all bidders for their participation.”.The announcement is the latest news in Canada’s decade-long quest to acquire new fighter jets. Stephen Harper’s Conservative government first committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition in 2010, but concerns about their cost and capabilities forced them to reconsider.In 2015, the Liberals instead opted to launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s. They later planned to buy 18 Super Hornets from Boeing without a competition, but ended up cancelling the plan after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier..The Liberals initiated the current bidding process in July 2019, at which point both Boeing and Lockheed Martin were allowed to compete..The first round of fighter jets won’t be delivered to Canada until 2025 at the earliest, with the rest arriving around 2032..Matthew Horwood is the Parliamentary Bureau Chief for the Western Standard
The Canadian government has chosen the F-35 as its preferred replacement for the air force’s dated CF-18 fighters and will open negotiations with manufacturer Lockheed Martin..Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the long-awaited decision at a news conference on Monday..“It is critical that current and future Royal Canadian Air Force pilots have the most advanced equipment available to ensure they can deliver on the important work that we ask of them,” Anand said..Anand said the procurement project, the largest in Canada in over three decades, will ensure Canada can “continue to defend North America, enhance our Arctic sovereignty and meet our NATO and NORAD obligations in the face of current and emerging threats.”.Canada has plans to buy 88 new fighter jets to replace its four-decade-old CF-18s. The federal government has budgeted up to $19 billion for the purchase..Along with the US, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Italy, Norway, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands have all ordered or purchased F-35s.If negotiations with Lockheed Martin break down, the government has the option to enter into talks with Saab for their Gripen fighters, which came in second to the F-35s in the competition..“This procurement has been an open, transparent, competitive and rigorous process, for a simple reason,” Anand said. “We need the right aircraft at the right price. This has been a hard-fought competition, and we thank all bidders for their participation.”.The announcement is the latest news in Canada’s decade-long quest to acquire new fighter jets. Stephen Harper’s Conservative government first committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition in 2010, but concerns about their cost and capabilities forced them to reconsider.In 2015, the Liberals instead opted to launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s. They later planned to buy 18 Super Hornets from Boeing without a competition, but ended up cancelling the plan after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier..The Liberals initiated the current bidding process in July 2019, at which point both Boeing and Lockheed Martin were allowed to compete..The first round of fighter jets won’t be delivered to Canada until 2025 at the earliest, with the rest arriving around 2032..Matthew Horwood is the Parliamentary Bureau Chief for the Western Standard
