Carney orders review of F-35 fighter jet purchase from U.S.’s Lockheed Martin

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked for a review of Canada’s plan to purchase a fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

The deal with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government is for 88 planes at a cost of about US$85 million each.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Carney has asked Blair to look into whether the F-35 contract is the best investment for Canada, or if there are better options.

“We need to do our homework given the changing environment, and make sure that the contract in its current form is in the best interests of Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces,” Blair’s press secretary Laurent de Casanove said.

The contract has not been cancelled, and Canada has legally committed to buying the first 16 aircraft, de Casanove said.

Carney became prime minister on Friday, in the midst of a trade war with the United States and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada.

The new fleet is set to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18s, with the first four of the 88 planes expected to be delivered in 2026 and the final 18 in 2032.

In an interview with the CBC Friday, Blair said he will be looking at whether all the jets need to be F-35s, or whether there are other alternatives, “particularly where there may be opportunities” to assemble, support and maintain the jets in Canada.

“The direction I’ve been given by the prime minister is go and look at all of our options to make sure that we make the right decision for Canada,” he said.

Blair said he will consult with the Canadian Air Force, the chief of the defence staff, and the Department of National Defence, as well as allies and partners “to see what is possible.”

A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin referred questions to the Canadian and U.S. governments.

“Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future,” the company said in a statement.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.

Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-director of the Outer Space Institute, has previously argued Canada should cancel the contract because the planes are highly computerized, with Lockheed Martin refusing to share the full source code, and Canada would never be able to have full control of them.

He said Saturday the 16 planes that Canada has already paid for are sunk costs, and the country should “cut its losses.”

“We need planes that can operate to their full capacity without U.S.-controlled computer systems,” he said.

Philippe Lagassé, a Carleton University associate professor specializing in defence policy and procurement, said there is currently a “large scale transition underway” from the CF-18s to the F-35s, which doesn’t only include the planes, but also the also the “infrastructure, training, munitions, and operational constructs for North America.”

Lagassé, who also served a member of the independent review panel that looked at the options to replace the CF-18s, said changing all those plans would be a massive undertaking.

“It can all be done, but it will put significant pressure on the RCAF and leave Canada with less capability for some time,” he said.

Opting for a mixed fleet of F-35s and another plane “would be less disruptive, but costly and complex.”

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said the total cost to buy, fly and maintain the new F-35 fleet would be an estimated $73.9 billion. A 2023 report estimated the acquisition phase would cost $19.8 billion, including $10.7 billion for 88 planes, $2.1 billion for weapons and ammunition and $5.9 billion for elements like design and depot costs, infrastructure and training.

Plans to buy the jets have been in the works for years. In 2010, the Conservative government first committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition, but concerns about the cost and capabilities forced it to reconsider.

Then in 2015, the Liberals promised to instead launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s and not to buy the F-35s. They cancelled the plan buy 18 Super Hornets after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier, launching an open bidding process for the new fleet in July 2019.

In a statement, Conservative defence critic James Bezan accused the Liberals of playing politics with the process to replace the CF-18s, saying the Royal Canadian Air Force “should have had new fighter jets by now.”

But Bezan said if the U.S. “continues to demonstrate that it is an unreliable partner and ally, then Canada will need to look for other options when it comes to defence purchases for the Canadian Armed Forces.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2024.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press