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New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will consider alternatives to the Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter as a national backlash grows against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats on Canadian sovereignty.
“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,” Defense Minister Bill Blair told the CBC late March 14.
Canada selected the F-35A to replace its aging Boeing CF-18 fleet in 2022 after a lengthy, circuitous competition. Ottawa also has ordered the first 16 F-35As for the Royal Canadian Air Force, leaving the balance of 72 fighters possibly at risk.
Sweden manufacturer Saab lost a rival bid three years ago to build, maintain and upgrade F-39E Gripen fighters in Canada, but the latest move could reopen the opportunity. Canada prioritized the F-35’s stealthy features and overall combat capability during the original evaluation.
“[The F-35] 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 added in the CBC interview.
The F-35’s international customer base has been relatively stable with one previous exception. The U.S. government banned Turkey’s air force and industry from participating in the F-35 program in 2018. The move came after Turkey accepted delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which the F-35 was designed to defeat.
Canada’s approach to fighter deals has been disrupted before by industrial tensions with its southern neighbor. In 2017, Canada canceled a deal to buy 24 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as an interim replacement for the oldest CF-18A/Bs. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered the cancellation after Boeing filed a trade complaint against Bombardier’s C Series airliner program. The U.S. manufacturer lost the case, but not before Bombardier felt compelled to sell the C Series program to Airbus, which rebranded the narrowbody as the A220 family.
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