Canada has finalized an agreement with the United States and weapons maker Lockheed Martin to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets, the government announced, as it seeks to upgrade the country’s ageing fleet.
During a news conference on Monday, Defence Minister Anita Anand said the $14.2 billion deal marked the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 30 years.
“As our world grows darker, with Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, this project has taken on heightened significance, especially given the importance of interoperability with our allies,” Anand said.
The announcement comes as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at a “Three Amigos” summit in Mexico City this week.
Canada, which has a close defence relationship with the US, has been trying for more than a decade to replace its fleet of aging Boeing CF-18 fighters, some of which are more than 40 years old.
The first four F-35 aircraft are anticipated to be delivered in 2026 with full operational capacity for the fleet expected between 2032 and 2034.
The project’s $14.2 billion budget includes the cost of infrastructure setup, weapons and other related expenses in addition to the price of planes, which are estimated at about $85 million each.
The full life cycle of the programme is expected to cost $52 billion however, which has drawn some criticism and questions in Canada.
“As winter sets in and Canadians struggle to make ends meet, it is irresponsible and unjust for the Trudeau government to spend public money on American warplanes,” the No Fighter Jets Coalition activist group said in a statement in late December.
On Monday, Anand said the F-35 agreement would help Canada meet its military commitments at home and better work with allies in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
© 2023, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Be the first to comment