OTTAWA—For the senior brass at the Royal Canadian Air Force, there is no question whatsoever that they want the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning as the replacement for their aging fleet of CF-18 Hornet fighter planes.
They have wanted the F-35, and only the F-35, since this fifth-generation stealth strike fighter was first on the drawing board in 1997.
In 2010, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government announced a sole-source deal to purchase 65 F-35s for the Air Force at a cost of $9-billion for the aircraft, and a total program cost of $16-billion. However, as the F-35 experienced technical teething trouble, and the costs soared, Harper pushed the reset button on the entire controversial procurement.
Not sure Elbows Up TDS is the best mindset when evaluating fighter jets.
