The Canadian government has selected Lockheed Martin’s F-35 as the preferred offering in its competition to buy a new fighter jet, government officials said. Canada plans to buy 88 new fighter jets to replace its CF-18s. The government has budgeted about CA$19 billion ($15 billion) for the purchase.
“This procurement represents the most significant investment in the RCAF in more than 30 years. It is essential for protecting the safety and security of Canadians. It will enhance our Arctic sovereignty. It will ensure we are equipped to better defend North America, and it will help make sure we continue to meet our NATO and NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] obligations well into the future,” Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) said on its website.
The Canadian government confirmed that it had selected the F-35 as the top bidder, chosen in favor of the rival, Saab's Gripen E. A third contender, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block III, was knocked out of the Future Fighter Capability Project in December last year. Two other European contenders, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the Dassault Rafale, both left the competition before it had begun, complaining that the process unfairly favored U.S. companies.
The government will start negotiations with Lockheed Martin, with the aim to replace the country’s ageing McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) CF-18s, which have been in service since 1982. The process to select Canada’s next fighter has been long, lasting about twelve years. Already back in 2010, the then Conservative government announced they had selected the F-35, making Canada one of the programme’s early partner countries.
