Canada finalises F-35 contract

On 9 January 2023, the Canadian government officially announced that the long expected contract for 88 Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has been finalised.

In March 2022, the Canadian government let the world know it had chosen the F-35A Lightning II as it next fighter jet. Negotiations with Lockheed-Martin for a contract for 88 F-35A started soon after.

Last December, word leaked that the first steps had been taken for an initial order for 16 aircraft. The 88 F-35As will be delivered in various blocks, enabling delivery between 2026 and 2032.

Canada has budgeted about USD 15 billion for the purchase in what is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years. Each jet costs about USD 85 million. The full life cycle of the programme is expected to cost USD52 billion.

Canada has a close defense relationship with the United States, which includes using fighter jets together to defend North American air space under the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) agreement. By ordering the Lightning IIs, a deal that has met significant politically controversy in Canada, the current Canadian government is eventually following the US and other NATO-members in ordering the F-35 for its air force.

With the RCAF, the F-35 will replace the current fleet of McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) CF-18 Hornets.

Photo (just illustrative) by Wim Sonneveld