THE WATCH STAFF
Canada plans to update its aging fleet of fighter aircraft by buying the F-35A Lightning II — the most advanced U.S. warplane.
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand announced March 28, 2022, that Lockheed Martin Corp. had been selected as the preferred bidder to supply 88 fighters to replace Canada’s CF-18s and F-18s — a big step toward the U.S. company winning the multibillion-dollar contract.
(A formation of F-35A Lightning II’s during a readiness exercise March 25, 2022, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.)
Ottawa said it hopes to award the contract before year’s end and take first deliveries in 2025. Canada has budgeted U.S. $15 billion for the purchase, according to the news website Breaking Defense in a March 29 story. After years of debate, Canada launched the bid process to acquire new fighters in 2017.
Anand’s background in procurement may have helped Ottawa reach its decision.
“Prior to becoming the defense minister, Anand excelled at procurement during the COVID-19 crisis,” Stephanie Carvin, an associate professor at Carleton University and a former national security analyst with the Canadian government, told Breaking Defense. “One of the very important reasons for having her in defense is to manage some of the procurement challenges Canada has, including on replacing the F-18 Hornets.”
Public Services and Procurement Canada, in a news release, called the announcement the most significant RCAF investment in more than three decades.
“It is critical that current and future Royal Canadian Air Force pilots have the most advanced equipment available to ensure they can deliver on the important work that we ask of them,” Anand said in the news release. “This procurement project … will help ensure Canada can continue to defend North America, enhance our Arctic sovereignty and meet our NATO and NORAD obligations in the face of current and emerging threats.”
Ottawa provides fighter aircraft on alert status to NORAD, maintains and operates the Canadian portion of the North Warning System, and operates three forward operating locations — in Inuvik, Iqaluit and Yellowknife — to support fighter operations in the North.
The Canadian government also said it is preparing to upgrade the infrastructure of two main operating bases for its future fighter aircraft, 4 Wing Cold Lake and 3 Wing Bagotville.
Tassi cautioned that Lockheed is not guaranteed to be the contract winner. Should Canada and Lockheed fail to agree on price and other details, then Ottawa could make a deal with the runner-up, Swedish manufacturer Saab and its Gripen E fighter, according to Breaking Defense.
Lockheed Martin describes the F-35A as the most advanced jet on the market, providing “unprecedented situational awareness” with the ability to operate in five domains: air, land, sea, space or cybersphere, according to an April 2 report by Canada’s Global News.
U.S. allies and partners, ranging from the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands in NATO, to Australia, Japan and South Korea in the Indo-Pacific, use or are in the process of procuring the F-35, according to the news release from Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Anand said world events have created a new sense of urgency for Canada and its allies to address defense concerns.
“We are living in a new reality,” she said, according to Breaking Defense.
IMAGE CREDIT: AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ELIZABETH SCHOUBROEK/U.S. AIR FORCE
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