Canada has finalized a deal with the U.S. government and Lockheed
Martin for the procurement of 88 F-35A Lightning II stealth jets.
The new fighter is expected to replace the aging CF-18 Hornets.
The delivery to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is expected to start in 2026.
The deal would is expected to be $19 billion and would include the cost of the aircraft,
sustainment set-up and services, as well as the construction of fighter
squadron facilities at 3 Wing in Bagotville, Quebec and 4 Wing in Cold Lake, Alberta.
David Pugliese at the Ottawa Citizen reports that Canadian national defense officials confirm the
project will cost around $70 billion in total across the life of the F-35s. Each F-35 will
cost around $100 million to acquire. The government projects that the "full
operational capability" of the F-35 fleet will be achieved between 2032 and 2034.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how F-35 Lightning II is consolidating itself as a
successful export product with the Canadian deal? Let’s get started.
Canada was one of the members of the multinational coalition that funded
the development of the F-35 fighter, investing $373 million in the program.
In 2010, the Canadian government announced it
would buy 65 F-35s or less than half the size of the original CF-18 fleet.
In 2015, that deal was canceled by the current government of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau on the grounds that a fair and open competition was not held.
In 2018, it was announced a new fighter would be picked in 2022.
The competition saw many factors at play.
The country has massive territory and large areas of open water and two-engined fighter
jets were generally preferred which could limp back to base even if one engine shut down.
But ultimately, the F-35 emerged as the winner in the competition which
also included Swedish Gripen, French Rafael as well as F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter
Gripen was a single-engine jet and Sweden was a non-NATO country,
Rafael could not re-use the equipment and munitions of the American-made
CF-18 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter was a 40-year-old design.
F-35 provides full interoperability with NATO as well as North American Air Defense Command,
or NORAD and easier availability of spare parts are expected.
So, technically after 12 years of the original decision to buy the F-35,
the Canadian government has essentially made the same decision.
Canada’s CBC reports that a senior Canadian defense official confirmed
on January 9 that Lockheed Martin’s latest Lot 18,
Block 4 F-35As will be delivered as part of the package, which has many key upgrades.
An infographic Tweeted by the RCAF also noted the claimed advantages of
Canada's future fighter and stated the following
1. A flight range greater than approximately 1,367 miles (2,200 km), with the ability to
fly non-stop between Cold Lake, Alberta to Inuvik, in Canada’s North Western Territories.
2. A drag chute used to slow the aircraft down in icy conditions. These are currently only in
use on Norweigan F-35s, and are a particular feature of aircraft used in arctic conditions.
3. A 'sidekick' devise, allowing for 6 AIM-120 missiles to be carried internally instead of 4.
4. A payload greater than 17,989.72 lbs. (8,160 kgs)
of ordinance combining internal and external weapons stations.
The Sukhoi Su-35 is the top Russian air superiority fighter in service today.
It will remain so until Russia succeeds
in bringing its fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter into serial production.
The Su-35 is an evolution of the Su-27 Flanker, a late Cold War design
intended to match the F-15 in concept. In January 2016, Russia made the first
combat deployment of the Su-35 when it sent a fleet of four aircraft to Syria.
It was earlier thought that the platform would be lapped up by other nations.
But Russia which is greatly dependent on weapons export and is also keeping no stone
unturned to pitch Su-35 is unable to find buyers. This is mainly due to technological shortcomings.
Recently 4 countries - Indonesia, Algeria, Egypt and Turkey have rejected the jet.
It is believed that China got the jet only for its engine as it was struggling to develop its own.
The situation is worse for Su-57 which is not being serially produced and the overall program
is delayed many years. India has moved out of the program and there is no potential deal in sight.
The fate of the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate is moving in the same direction.
The F-35 has proved a highly successful export for Lockheed Martin around the world.
There are 8 international program partners — the U.S., United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands,
Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada apart from which 6 Foreign Military Sales customers are also
procuring and operating the F-35 ­— Israel, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Belgium, and Singapore.
Germany, Switzerland and Finland are also in the process of acquiring it. Greece
and the Czech Republic also announced requests to buy the stealth fighter.
For a fighter to be genuinely effective in a real war where losses occur fast
and production lines get stretched, ‘Economies of Scale’ is important.
An efficient pipeline can be developed if the product has many takers.
Interoperability is also key in a war, where situational awareness
and combat effectiveness are greatly enhanced if aerial assets can share
data seamlessly which will be the case as so many US allies are opting for F-35
It is evident that F-35 is turning out to be a winner after initial hiccups.