The elections that will take place next week in Canada will establish the future of the F-35, as the country's flagship fighter replacing the F-18. The leader of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau (photo), during his last public appearances it was clear: "if we were to win the election (scheduled for 19 next October), we will give up the F-35 and opt for a less expensive platform. The funds saved will be redirected to shipbuilding ”.
Non-addressing has not yet been formalized, the conservative party, led by Stephen Harper, has always expressed a willingness to participate in the JSF program.
Returning to the liberals. In the electoral program consisting of 88 pages, they explain why the F-35 is not the ideal platform for Canada. "We need a fighter that can defend North America, not a low observability platform. With the money saved, we will strengthen the Royal Canadian Navy, which is in dire need of new boats."
Harper's reply to Trudeau's program was not long in coming "If they renounced the F-35 they would damage Canada's aerospace industry, they live in the world of dreams".
A number of countries are involved in the F-35 program, but Canada (for example), partner of the JSF program, has not yet indicated how to acquire them. For years the Canadian government has been looking for a platform that can replace CF-18 fighters (pictured below). The only certain data is that all the options remain on the table. These options include an outright purchase of the F-35 or the search for one or more different platforms. To ensure a safe and effective transition to the new weapon system, Canada has extended the operational life of the entire CF-18 fleet to the 2025.
Canada is interested in the A-version of the F-35 which currently costs 108 million dollars. The F-35 is one of the biggest political concerns for the conservative government. Although the liberal government originally signed up for the JSF's research and development program, the conservatives have significantly expanded Canada's role and committed the government to buying the plane in advance. But to address the disputes over the real cost of the F-35, the government tried to hide the true final price of the aircraft. The Canadian National Defense Department originally claimed that the JSF program would have cost 14,7 billion dollars altogether. Digit then denied. The full cost for the adoption of the F-35 platform (for 65 fighter) could cost Canada just under 29 billion.
In addition to the aerial platform, the Royal Canadian Navy has an extreme need for new ships for what was announced by the conservatives, in the 2006, as the largest shipbuilding program in the history of the country in peacetime. In the last year, the Royal Canadian Navy withdrew from service two supply and supply ships, and two destroyers.
(photo: Royal Canadian Air Force / web)
