The Canadian government would be about to buy three squadrons Super Hornet as an interim solution to replace the current CF-18 fleet. A political solution that "saves" the current government on the final decision regarding the F-35 affair. In a nutshell, if Canada were to buy the F-35 it would do so only after the 2020, for a decision that would still be up to the next government.
The current prime minister of the liberal party Justin Trudeau (photo), had promised during last year's election campaign that his government would never buy the Joint Strike Fighter. Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, from Ottawa last week, said that Canada will have to decide immediately considering the commitments with NORAD and NATO.
As the F-35 is a delicate subject for liberals, this is demonstrated by the electoral program of 88 pages which at JSF dedicated some pages: "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 extreme need of new boats".
For years, the Canadian government has been looking for a platform that can replace CF-18 fighters. 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 was interested in the A-version of the F-35 which currently costs 108 million dollars. The F-35 was one of the biggest political concerns for the conservative government. The liberal government had originally signed up for the JSF's research and development program, but 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 estimate for the adoption of the F-35 platform (for 65 fighter), was 29 billion dollars. The exit of Canada, or at least the freezing of the acquisition for at least ten years, will result in an increase of one million dollars in the final price of each plane. The estimated price increase is 0,7% for all partner countries.
The development program, which will end in 2017, will not be delayed, but international partners will also be forced to absorb Canada's share (2,1%) for the costs of livelihood and modernization.
(photo: Boeing / Office of the Prime Minister of Canada)
