Canada reconsidering F-35 purchase amid tensions with Washington, says minister
Payment for first 16 aircraft already made
Canada is actively looking at potential alternatives to the U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter and will hold conversations with rival aircraft makers, Defence Minister Bill Blair said late Friday, just hours after being reappointed to the post as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet.
The remarks came one day after Portugal signalled it was planning to ditch its acquisition of the high-tech warplane.
The re-examination in this country is taking place amid the bruising political fight with the Trump administration over tariffs and threats from the American president to annex Canada by economic force.
There has been a groundswell of support among Canadians to kill the $19-billion purchase and find aircraft other than those manufactured and maintained in the United States.
U.S.
President Donald Trump's comments about Canada has prompted both
Canadians and the government to reconsider doing business with the
Americans. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
After years of delay, the Liberal government signed a contract with the U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin in June 2023 to purchase 88 F-35 jets.
The conversation about what's best for overall Canadian interests and the defence of the country is currently taking place with the military, Blair told CBC's Power & Politics.
"It was the fighter jet identified by our air force as the platform that they required, but we are also examining other alternatives — whether we need all of those fighter jets to be F-35," Blair told host David Cochrane.
Canada has already put down its money for the first 16 warplanes, which are due to be delivered early next year.
A new F-39 Gripen fighter jet is seen in 2023. The aircraft is one option if Canada were to modify its order of F-35s. (Andre Penner/The Associated Press)
Canada looking for suppliers outside U.S.: Blair
Blair is suggesting that the first F-35s might be accepted and the remainder of the fleet would be made up of aircraft from European suppliers, such as the Swedish-built Saab Gripen, which finished second in the competition.
"The prime minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada," Blair said.
That was an indirect reference to the Swedish proposal, which promised that assembly would take place in Canada and there would be a transfer of intellectual property, which would allow the aircraft to be maintained in this country.
Major maintenance, overhaul and software upgrades on the F-35 happen in the United States.
The notion of Canada flying a mixed fleet of fighter jets is something the air force has long resisted, even though it did so up until the 1980s when the current CF-18s were purchased. It would mean two different training regimes, separate hangars and infrastructure and a different supply chain — all of which defence planners have insisted for decades is too expensive.
National
Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday that Prime Minister Mark Carney
has instructed him to look at the government's options for its contract
with Lockheed Martin. (David Gunn/CBC)
Prior to Blair's statement, Lockheed Martin was asked about Portugal's planned exit from the program and whether it would have an impact on Canada.
"Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future," Rebecca Miller, Lockheed Martin's director of global media relations, said in a statement.
"Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, so anything further will be best addressed by the U.S. or respective customer governments."
Miller also addressed online misinformation that suggested the F-35s have a so-called "kill switch" that could turn off aircraft belonging to allies — or hobble their capabilities, should the U.S. government order the company to do so.
"As part of our government contracts, we deliver all system infrastructure and data required for all F-35 customers to sustain the aircraft," Miller said. "We remain committed to providing affordable and reliable sustainment services to our customers that enable them to complete their missions and come home safely."
There would be some form of contract penalty should Canada not proceed with the entire purchase. How much it would cost to get out of the contract remains unclear.
Billie Flynn, a retired lieutenant-colonel and former F-35 test pilot, says the threats made by Trump have shaken confidence in the U.S. defence sector.
"I believe Canada has to adopt a transactional view that this is a contract that will go forward — or at the risk — of the trust that is always behind every purchase of American arms," Flynn said.
Another consideration in any potential full or partial withdrawal from the F-35 contract is that Canadian aerospace companies are part of the fighter jet's supply chain — something that contributed $1.3 billion to this country's economy between 1997 and 2021.
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Carney orders review of F-35 fighter jet purchase from U.S.’s Lockheed Martin
Updated:
An icon of an F-35 with a Canadian flag is seen on a screen as Lockheed Martin’s J.R. McDonald speaks during a news conference at the CANSEC trade show, in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked for a review of Canada’s plan to purchase a fleet of F-35 fighter jets.
The deal with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government is for 88 planes at a cost of about US$85 million each.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Carney has asked Blair to look into whether the F-35 contract is the best investment for Canada, or if there are better options.
“We need to do our homework given the changing environment, and make sure that the contract in its current form is in the best interests of Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces,” Blair’s press secretary Laurent de Casanove said.
The contract has not been cancelled, and Canada has legally committed to buying the first 16 aircraft, de Casanove said.
Carney became prime minister on Friday, in the midst of a trade war with the United States and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada.
The new fleet is set to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18s, with the first four of the 88 planes expected to be delivered in 2026 and the final 18 in 2032.
In an interview with the CBC Friday, Blair said he will be looking at whether all the jets need to be F-35s, or whether there are other alternatives, “particularly where there may be opportunities” to assemble, support and maintain the jets in Canada.
“The direction I’ve been given by the prime minister is go and look at all of our options to make sure that we make the right decision for Canada,” he said.
Blair said he will consult with the Canadian Air Force, the chief of the defence staff, and the Department of National Defence, as well as allies and partners “to see what is possible.”
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin referred questions to the Canadian and U.S. governments.
“Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future,” the company said in a statement.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.
Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-director of the Outer Space Institute, has previously argued Canada should cancel the contract because the planes are highly computerized, with Lockheed Martin refusing to share the full source code, and Canada would never be able to have full control of them.
He said Saturday the 16 planes that Canada has already paid for are sunk costs, and the country should “cut its losses.”
“We need planes that can operate to their full capacity without U.S.-controlled computer systems,” he said.
Philippe Lagasse, a Carleton University associate professor specializing in defence policy and procurement, said there is currently a “large scale transition underway” from the CF-18s to the F-35s, which doesn’t only include the planes, but also the also the “infrastructure, training, munitions, and operational constructs for North America.”
Lagasse, who also served a member of the independent review panel that looked at the options to replace the CF-18s, said changing all those plans would be a massive undertaking.
“It can all be done, but it will put significant pressure on the RCAF and leave Canada with less capability for some time,” he said.
Opting for a mixed fleet of F-35s and another plane “would be less disruptive, but costly and complex.”
The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said the total cost to buy, fly and maintain the new F-35 fleet would be an estimated $73.9 billion. A 2023 report estimated the acquisition phase would cost $19.8 billion, including $10.7 billion for 88 planes, $2.1 billion for weapons and ammunition and $5.9 billion for elements like design and depot costs, infrastructure and training.
Plans to buy the jets have been in the works for years. In 2010, the Conservative government first committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition, but concerns about the cost and capabilities forced it to reconsider.
Then in 2015, the Liberals promised to instead launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s and not to buy the F-35s. They cancelled the plan buy 18 Super Hornets after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier, launching an open bidding process for the new fleet in July 2019.
In a statement, Conservative defence critic James Bezan accused the Liberals of playing politics with the process to replace the CF-18s, saying the Royal Canadian Air Force “should have had new fighter jets by now.”
But Bezan said if the U.S. “continues to demonstrate that it is an unreliable partner and ally, then Canada will need to look for other options when it comes to defence purchases for the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Only 40% of air force inventory ready for action as Canada rethinks its F-35 contract
Mixed fleets and avoiding American firms come with their own challenges
Only 40 per cent of Canada's air force inventory is considered serviceable and ready to fight, according to a new military-wide readiness document obtained by CBC News.
And the uncertainty about the availability and age of the various fleets of aircraft is expected to grow in light of the Liberal government's pledge to look at alternatives to the F-35 fighters and the possibility that the number of U.S.-made warplanes on order could be reduced.
The document, dated Feb. 18, 2025, tracks the availability of military equipment and personnel. It projects that 60 per cent of the air force inventory is "unserviceable" and likely not fit for deployment should NATO call upon this country.
The notion of reducing the number of U.S.-built F-35s — as much as it may feel good politically and play well among an angry public — comes at an extremely vulnerable time for Canada's air force.
Much of its combat capability is made up of aging CF-18 fighter jets, which governments of both political stripes have hesitated in replacing — mostly for political reasons.
Canada's oldest CF-18s are closing in on 45 years of service. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The former Conservative government's plan to buy F-35s ran into a storm of political, public and watchdog criticism — so much so that the current Liberal government rode to power in an election a decade ago on a promise not to buy the Lockheed Martin-manufactured jet.
An open competition and eight years later, the Liberals reversed themselves and ordered 88 fighters to replace the current CF-18s, some of which are closing in on 45 years of service.
Enter President Donald Trump's annexation threats and the bruising trade war which he initiated.
The F-35 has long been a political football in Canada, and seems destined to be one again as Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call a federal election and seek a mandate from a public that's growing increasingly alarmed about the country's state of defence preparedness.
"The defence minister raised the issue with me," Carney said recently in explaining his decision to order a review.
The issue, says Carney, is whether the F-35 is the right warplane for Canada in this geopolitical climate when allies are questioning the reliability of the United States.
"We had a discussion about Canada's options and the fact is that under the [F-35] contract, as you may know, there are — after a certain number of purchases — we have options on subsequent aircraft," the prime minister said.
Canada has already paid for its first tranche of 16 F-35s, to be delivered in the next few years.
It planned to buy 88 in total from Lockheed Martin for $19 billion, but that could change.
Last week, Defence Minister Bill Blair floated the idea that the air force could have two types of fighters.
"The Prime Minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada," Blair told host David Cochrane on CBC's Power & Politics.
It was an obvious reference to the company that placed second in Canada's fighter jet competition — Saab, the Swedish defence giant. It offered its Gripen-E fighter jet and proposed assembling it in Canada.
There are, however, many obstacles to the Liberal government's proposal, starting with the age of the CF-18s. While their lifespan and electronics have been extended on a couple of occasions, the warplanes will become more unserviceable by 2032.
"I understand why this discussion regarding the F-35 is underway and what I would say is this is the wrong weapon system to reconsider," said retired general Tom Lawson, the country's former top military commander and a former consultant for Lockheed Martin.
"There's a very real scenario where everything gets delayed to the point where there are no fighters flying in Canada for a period of time."
Lawson also said operating two types of fighters is something the air force doesn't want to do because of the enormous cost of setting up two training and supply systems, as well as building separate hangars and infrastructure.
New concerns over buying American
Dan Grazier, a senior fellow and program director at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said Canada has reasons to reconsider the F-35 beyond the current trade war.
"I certainly do understand the Canadian people's reluctance to fully participate in this program," he said.
"There are some valid concerns about the F-35 program," said Grazier, who pointed to the ability of the U.S. to potentially influence the supply chain and software updates.
He said he believes Lockheed Martin has too much hold over proprietary information related to the aircraft to the detriment of not only allies, but the U.S. military as well.
Dan
Grazier, a senior fellow and program director at the Washington-based
Stimson Center, said Canada has reasons to reconsider the F-35 beyond
the current trade war. (Harald Tittel/The Associated Press)
"I think all the partner countries for the F-35 program are taking a bit of a risk by participating in the program, just with the way that the program is structured and the way that it's supported specifically," Grazier said.
But former F-35 test pilot and retired lieutenant-colonel Billie Flynn says the same could be said about all U.S. military software and weapons supply chains.
"Remember that every missile that we own and fire on the CF-18s and all our frigates, all our offensive weapons are American and necessarily the United States government has control over what's loaded into the latest version," Flynn said.
"In that sense, we're always at the mercy or vulnerable to what the United States government would do. We don't have war stocks to sustain a fight, and they would just shut the tap off against them or against anybody else. There is nothing unique about the vulnerability of the F-35."
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From: Erik Andersen <twolabradors@shaw.ca>
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Cc: dfournier <dfournier@protonmail.com>, pierre poilievre <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, Prime Minister, Premier ministre <pm@pm.gc.ca>, fin.minfinance-financemin.fin <fin.minfinance-financemin.fin@canada.ca>, bill blair <Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca>, John Williamson <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, Marco Mendicino <Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, justin trudeau <justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca>, <dlametti@fasken.com>
To: "Erik Andersen" <twolabradors@shaw.ca>, "dfournier" <dfournier@protonmail.com>, "pierre poilievre" <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, "Prime Minister, Premier ministre" <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "fin.minfinance-financemin.
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 10:52:40 AM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
From: Minister of Finance / Ministre des Finances <minister-ministre@fin.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Subject: Automatic Reply
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From: "David Amos" <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
To: "Erik Andersen" <twolabradors@shaw.ca>, "dfournier" <dfournier@protonmail.com>, "pierre poilievre" <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, "Prime Minister, Premier ministre" <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "fin.minfinance-financemin.
Lest we forget
Feds sign $8B preliminary contract for new navy destroyers while Parliament sidelined
Eventual price tag for trio of warships expected to top $22.2B
Amid a flurry of last minute senate and judicial appointments, the Liberal government quietly announced Saturday it has signed an $8 billion implementation contract for the construction of the Royal Canadian Navy's new destroyers.
It is only the first step in the long-delayed process to replace the navy's aging frigates and the contract with Nova Scotia's Irving Shipbuilding is essentially a downpayment on only three of the highly sophisticated warships.
The eventual price tag for the trio of destroyers is expected to top $22.2 billion, senior defence officials revealed in a technical briefing late Friday.
After releasing details to journalists, the federal government imposed an embargo on the release of the information until Saturday morning.
Both the Defence Department and a spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair refused to explain why a moratorium, which is usually imposed for either operational security or market sensitive information, was necessary in this case. The existence of the multi-billion dollar contract was also revealed while Parliament remained prorogued in the aftermath of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to step down.
The information became public on a weekend, one day ahead of the Liberals choosing a new leader and the next prime minister — and just weeks ahead of an expected federal election.
Although quoted in a news release, neither Blair, nor Jean-Yves Duclos, the minister of Public Services and Procurement, were part of the technical briefing, nor were they made available to answer questions about the milestone event and the enormous price tag.
Minister
of National Defence Bill Blair takes part in a fireside chat during the
First Annual National Defence Conference at the Canadian War Museum in
Ottawa on Nov. 28, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
One defence expert says it's clear the Liberal government wanted to bury the announcement and avoid public scrutiny of the project, which has been beset with delays and has already seen — according to the Defence Department website — an expenditure of $2.6 billion in public funds for design and preparatory work.
"They absolutely have to own this decision, instead of hiding it and hoping that it disappears," said Rob Huebert, a professor of political science and the interim director for the Centre for Military Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. He noted that one of U.S. President Donald Trump's biggest complaints about Canada is a lack of defence spending, yet the current government chose to downplay an enormous expenditure.
"We need to be having this adult discussion about our security in public, not hiding it away in a [media] release on a Saturday."
Concerns about using U.S. system
There are, however, a number of politically explosive elements to the plan.
The new warships, which are a bigger, modified version of the British Type 26 frigate design currently being constructed by BAE Systems Inc. in the U.K., uses a U.S.-designed and built combat management system.
In light of Trump's threats to annex Canada by economic force and the on-again-off-again trade war, there have been calls for the federal government to untangle itself from the U.S. defence industrial complex. At least two of the Liberal leadership contenders have pledged to find ways to source more defence expenditures at home rather than from the U.S.
A senior defence official, speaking at Friday's briefing on background, dismissed the concerns about using the Lockheed Martin-designed and built system and downplayed the notion that the program could be held hostage through political interference in the U.S. foreign military sales system.
"We're talking about a ship that's gonna be more than 8,000 tonnes, probably the most complex warship that Canada has ever built," said the official.
"So, it is going to be comprised of systems from a whole host of different countries. And obviously … the main combat system, the Aegis weapon system, is coming from the United States, along with some other key elements of it."
The official went on to repeat the standard line the military has given lately with regard to concerns about co-operation between the two countries, saying the military-to-military relations with the U.S. remains strong and "as we speak right now, Canadians and Americans stand watch side by side in NORAD command centres."
HMCS
Fredericton, guided by tugs, returns to Halifax in July 2020 after
completing a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea. HMCS Oriole,
left, and Bluenose II, centre, escorted the the Halifax-class frigate
up the harbour. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)
Cost for ships has ballooned
The other political flashpoint is cost.
The navy is hoping to acquire 15 of the destroyers, which were recently designated as the River class of warships.
The defence department's own website, as late as Friday night, continued to estimate the overall cost of building all of the warships at $56 billion to $60 billion. The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) has long maintained that the cost would be much higher, suggesting in a 2022 report that the construction phase for 15 ships would amount to about $80 billion.
The previous numbers are dwarfed by the figures released on Friday, where $22.2 billion only gets the navy three ships. Officials say once the kinks are worked out in the design and the system, the per-ship cost will lessen over time.
Huebert said he's not surprised politics is being played with the numbers.
"It's a lot of money," he said. "But, I mean, again, with any maritime naval construction, the first ones are always horrifically expensive. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the budget goes considerably beyond $22 billion because that's everyone's experience.
"It doesn't matter if it's the Americans, Japanese, whoever, the first three [new ships] you make, it's such a learning experience, and you always try to lowball it for political reasons, which is unfortunate."
When the British design was selected a number of years ago, the idea was that it was a so-called off-the-shelf design and therefore cheaper to build. However, Canadian naval planners have modified the design, adding both weight and additional weapons to base model plans.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
From: Erik Andersen <twolabradors@shaw.ca>
Date: Sun, Mar 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
To: "Erik Andersen" <twolabradors@shaw.ca>, "dfournier" <dfournier@protonmail.com>, "pierre poilievre" <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, "Prime Minister, Premier ministre" <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "fin.minfinance-financemin.
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2025 2:13:35 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAF
From: "Erik Andersen" <twolabradors@shaw.ca>
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2025 12:25:18 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAFPeyman. I think this is something now in motion. Trump has made the game one of threats where every thing is uncertain and maybe Carney has decided to reciprocate in kind. Using past history as a guide I was never a fan of anything built by Lockheed. For a large country like Canada, the operational range of aircraft is important, but it is not reflected in the F 35. Also survival over hostile terrain is reflected by the Gripen by having two engines to call upon..A public commentary by Janis V. , former Fin . Minister for Greece, is maybe the closest to explaining why the Trump administration is behaving in such a illogical way. He thinks the US knows it needs to devalue their currency and tariffs are part of the preparation for that. He has some logic to his views but I don't quite agree because that does not fit the character of a nation of want-to-be "Top- Guns" . On the line is the dominance and benefits of having the world's reserve currency.My son is visiting us today and he mentioned a name that some people think is the "organ grinder" not the monkey. He also mentioned that this person is thought to be a psychopath. I will ask Neil if he has the name. Cheers ErikFrom:
To: "Erik Andersen" <twolabradors@shaw.ca>
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2025 6:30:55 PM
Subject: Re: Gripen fighter jet for the RCAFHello ErikI am curious, do you view this as a good thing, or a bad thing?All the best, and enjoy your weekendPeymanOn Sat, Mar 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM Erik Andersen <twolabradors@shaw.ca> wrote:Happening now. The Government of Canada/ new Prime Minister, has put the F 35 aircraft purchase under review, with the Swedish Gripen as new-front runner. It is a non-stealth jet fighter with an important two engine configuration. It also can cruise at Mach 1 for max range.Lockheed will be placing urgent calls to Trump. Cheers Erik
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