Canadian Protection Minister David McGuinty has confirmed {that a} evaluate of plans to buy 88 F-35A fifth technology fighter plane is at present ongoing, with no timeline given for a ultimate resolution, including that procurements from non-U.S. sources was into consideration. “The evaluate of the acquisition of the F-35s is constant,” he said, including: “We’re taking the mandatory time to review very, very intently the query of the fighter fleet.” The evaluate was initially scheduled to be concluded round September 2025, however has continued previous that point, as public opinion and far of the political management have supported decreasing reliance on the USA for Canada’s defence.
Canada in March 2022 chosen the F-35A to succeed its F-18s, with procurement of 88 fighters deliberate at a price of $14.2 billion, round $161 million per plane. The choice to renew talks on procuring an alternate fighter kind have primarily been stimulated by a pointy deterioration in relations with the USA beneath the Trump administration from early 2025. The Defence Ministry had already paid for its first 16 F-35s by the point the evaluate was initiated, nevertheless, and in February 2024 initiated funds for long-lead gadgets related to the procurement of 14 further F-35s. Thus whereas deliberate F-35 procurements could also be decreased considerably, probably to only 30 fighters, a complete cancellation of procurement plans stays unlikely. The F-35 was chosen partly because of the U.S. Air Power’s deployment of the fighters because the spine of its air defence fleet in Alaska, with the fielding of a standard fighter kind offering vital interoperability benefits.
The Canadian Defence Ministry was reported in April 2025 to be holding talks with the Swedish defence producer SAAB relating to the potential procurement of Gripen E/F fourth technology fighters. Eight months later nevertheless, inner Ministry experiences confirmed that beneath the Future Fighter Functionality Venture tender, the F-35A was evaluated as being overwhelmingly superior to the Gripen. The F-35 scored 57.1 out of 60 factors, a 95 % rating, within the tender, whereas the Gripen E/F achieved simply 19.8 factors, a 33 % rating, with their performances diverging notably sharply as soon as rated operational standards had been utilized. Such an end result remained consistent with broader tendencies in the direction of potential purchasers for the F-35 favouring it by equally overwhelming margins over competing European plane, with the outcomes of in Belgium, Finland and Switzerland being notable examples.
Senior officers such because the commander of 1 Canadian Air Division Main Basic Chris McKenna have indicated robust assist for procuring the F-35, because of the perceived want to have the ability to counter Chinese language and Russian fifth technology fighters, to which no different Western fighter kind can present a peer stage functionality. The F-35’s place as the one NATO-compatible fifth technology fighter kind in manufacturing wherever on this planet has supplied it with a definite benefit on this regard. In April 2026, nevertheless, the UK, Japan and Italy had been confirmed to be coordinating plans for the inclusion of Canada within the International Fight Air Programme (GCAP), a subsequent technology fighter program meant to ship a fighter prepared for energetic service by 2035. Whereas this system’s capacity to ship a fighter with comparable capabilities to an enhanced Block 4 F-35A has been dropped at severe query, it’s thought of very possible to offer a way more succesful different than the Eurofighter, Gripen or different European fighter sorts which might be at present out there.
