Date of publication: 28 Mar 2022 • 2 hours ago • 4 minutes reading • 139 Comments Canada’s fighter replacement program, which has been in place for decades and several governments appear to be nearing completion, intends to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Photo: Lockheed Martin / Fle
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Seven years after promising never to replace Canada’s aging F-35 fighter jet fleet, the Trudeau Liberals now plan to buy 88 of them.
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Defense Secretary Anita Anand announced the news early Monday afternoon, confirming the government’s intentions to sign final purchase contracts with manufacturer Lockheed-Martin later this year. “A new fleet of state-of-the-art fighter jets is essential to Canada’s security, sovereignty and ability to defend itself,” he said. Canada’s road to replacing its fighters was a 25-year-old odyssey full of political machinations. In 1997, Jean Chrétien signed on for the first time in the Joint Strike Fighter program. In 2010, then-Secretary of Defense Peter MacKay announced that Canada had entered into a no-bid deal for the purchase of 65 F-35s, with delivery expected in 2016 at a cost of $ 9 billion. A no-confidence vote sparked by partial refusal to cut spending on the F-35 program led to the collapse of the minority Harper government 11 years ago this week, sending Canadians to the polls and bringing Conservatives back to power. with a majority government.
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In 2015, opposition leader Justin Trinto made the issue prominent on the Liberals’ election platform. “We will not buy the F-35 fighter jet,” he said, adding that if elected, there would be a cheaper alternative. “The Conservative government never justified or explained why it felt Canada needed a fifth-generation fighter,” Trinto said in 2015. “They just talked about it as if it were obvious. “It was obvious, as we saw throughout the process, that it was special, and some might say irrational or unhealthy, connected to the F-35 aircraft.”
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As the fighter replacement program spans decades and many governments, General Tom Lawson, a retired Canadian defense chief and former RCAF pilot, credits concerns about Canadian sovereignty in light of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine by the defense spending at the forefront and focus on government priorities. “It was Winston Churchill who said we should never lose a good crisis,” Lawson said. “This creates ideal conditions for an announcement that would otherwise be slightly annoying for the Liberals.” On Monday, citing the precarious nature of current global affairs, Anand said it was important to ensure that the Canadian military had the equipment needed to maintain internal security.
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The F-35, he said, had proven to be both a mature and an interoperable aircraft. “This new fleet will ensure our continued ability to protect every inch of Canadian airspace, to live up to our commitments to NORAD and NATO, and to deal with unforeseen threats.” Monday’s announcement came after Canadian Defense, Procurement and Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) officials unanimously recommended concluding the contract with Lockheed-Martin, said Procurement Minister Philomena Tassi. Defense Secretary Anita Anand announced the decision on the F-35 on Monday: “A new fleet of state-of-the-art fighter jets is essential to Canada’s security, sovereignty and defense capabilities.” Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press The contracts were awarded two years ago to equip 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake with the infrastructure needed to support the F-35. Late last year, the government reduced the list of candidate aircraft for Saab’s F-35 and Gripen series of multi-role fighters after blocking an offer from Boeing, whose predecessor McDonnell Douglas was building the current CF fleet. 18 Hornets of Canada.
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While the final cost has not yet been determined, the deal is expected to reach about $ 19 billion. Final contracts should be signed later in the year, Tassi said, with delivery expected by 2025. A research product from Lockheed’s famous Skunk Works – the legendary advanced development unit responsible for the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Nighthawk spy planes – the F-35 is already in active service by a range of air forces, including the United States, Israel, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. The F-35 is available in three variants – the standard Canadian Model A, the F-35B with short take-off / vertical landing and the F-35C with tail, designed for use in aircraft carriers. Lorraine Ben, CEO of Lockheed-Martin Canada, said the company is looking forward to continuing its relationship with CAF.
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“As a cornerstone of interoperability with NORAD and NATO, the F-35 will enhance Canada’s operational capacity with our allies,” the National Post said in a statement. “The F-35 gives pilots a crucial advantage over any adversary, allowing them to carry out their mission and return home safe.” The F-35 will be Canada’s first aircraft built by Lockheed since the CF-104 Starfighter was withdrawn from service in 1986. Other Lockheed-Martin aircraft in CAF stock include the C-130 Hercules / C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft and the CP-140 Aurora Maritime Patrol aircraft. Then-Secretary of Defense Peter MacKay hails from the cockpit of a Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lighting II on July 16, 2010, after announcing that Canada would buy some of the jets. Photo by Andre Forget / Postmedia / File Lawson said the decision was good for the Canadian Armed Forces. “When (in 2010) the Conservative government made the very decision we see the Liberal government take 12 years later, it was a delight,” said Lawson, who was the deputy commander of the air force at the time.
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“Today brings a little joy, but mostly relief.” Lawson, who also served as deputy commander of NORAD, said a Canadian F-35 fleet was the ideal platform to continue Canada’s mission to protect the North. “Purchasing the F-35 simplifies NORAD operations,” he said. Erika Simpson, a professor of international politics at Western University in London, disagreed. “Faced with the choice of equipment they will buy, I think the Liberals are printing money to buy more defense equipment that future generations will have to pay for,” he said, adding that he believed Canada should return to the drone test. Aircraft (UAV) technology for patrolling the Arctic. Germany’s decision earlier this month to buy F-35s to replace the aging Panavia Tornados could also play a role in Canada’s decision to buy the jets, he said. Canada, he said, was spending too much money on an aircraft unsuitable for our needs, and said that could signal the beginning of a spree of defense spending by the Liberal Trindot. “But that may not be the case,” Simpson said. • Email: [email protected] | Twitter: bryanpassifiume
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