Canada is considering a major overhaul of its fighter modernization plan, according to a May 30, 2026, report by La Presse, indicating Ottawa may replace much of its planned 88 F-35 fleet with roughly 60 Saab Gripen fighters while retaining 30 F-35As. This potential shift to a Canada mixed fighter fleet aims to reduce reliance on US defense supply chains and political leverage while preserving core fifth-generation capabilities for NORAD and NATO operations.
h/t GW
Canada’s iconic Snowbirds demonstration squadron will be grounded following the 2026 flying season until new aircraft arrive, the country’s defence minister said Tuesday.
In a statement, David McGuinty did not say how long it will take to replace the outdated CT-114 Tutor jets, which have been part of the air force inventory since the 1960s.
The turbo-prop Swiss-made CT-157 Siskin II has been chosen as the replacement for the Snowbird squadron. The aircraft is already on order and being delivered for use in the air force’s initial pilot training aircraft.
Update First production test flight of a RCAF CT-157 Siskin II (Pilatus PC-21)
We will procure the CT-157 Siskin II (Pilatus PC21) for the future Snowbirds team. During the onboarding period, the RCAF will continue to support air shows and events across Canada with aircraft and personnel. https://t.co/4GfMMabPlc pic.twitter.com/5qZolOv5eV
— Canadian Armed Forces (@CanadianForces) May 19, 2026
h/t Mauser
Offensive to Liberals, Transvestites and Jihadis[/caption]Temporarily grounding Canada’s iconic Snowbirds may be required to ensure the aging planes don’t weigh on broader military operations, says a former chief of defence staff.
Tom Lawson, also a former fighter pilot, offered his view ahead of Defence Minister David McGuinty’s planned Tuesday announcement on the fate of the aerobatic flying unit known for its red-and-white jets.
Chipping away like termites.
As part of its pitch to lure Canada to buy Gripen-E fighter jets, Saab has offered to establish a secure, sovereign data centre in Montreal to house critical, top-secret mission data and intelligence, CBC News has learned.
The company is framing it as a “unique advantage” in the battle to convince the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney to limit the purchase of U.S.-manufactured F-35s, which have all of their data stored at a Lockheed Martin centre in Fort Worth, Texas.
The purpose-built Saab data centre “will host all work on the fighter mission system,” Saab spokesperson Sierra Fullerton confirmed in a recent statement to CBC News.
Given the potential for graft I suspect Carney & Co. are leaning toward the Gripen.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is inching closer to a possible decision to end Canada’s F-35 procurement plans and accept an offer from Sweden’s Saab, instead, with news this week revealing that the Swedish manufacturer is now providing Ottawa with detailed, technical information on what a JAS 39 Gripen fighter deal would actually look like in practice.
Among the topics currently being discussed in Ottawa are timelines for technology transfers, the speed at which a Canadian production line could be established, and how Canada could participate in future export sales of the aircraft.
The Canadian Armed Forces will participate in a ceremony in Texas on Monday to celebrate the imminent arrival of their first F-35 — as Ottawa has still yet to announce how many U.S.-made fighter jets it will ultimately buy.
The event comes as the future of the CF-18 replacement program is under review because of the ongoing trade and political disputes between Canada and the United States.
This is a good way to avoid buying new fighters until the fruition of drone tech replaces the need for them.
In Ottawa, various cabinet ministers are praying that TACO – the “Trump always chickens out” theory – is still valid. Or largely so, or at least somewhat so, for they are on the verge of gambling big on the U.S. President’s rage factor.
TACO is high on their minds because Prime Minister Mark Carney and several of his cabinet ministers, including Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, are thought to be embracing the idea of Canada building the Saab Gripen fighter jet and Saab GlobalEye military surveillance plane. They are both Swedish creations whose construction in Canada would create 12,600 jobs, Saab has said.
U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra created the diplomatic equivalent to a sonic boom recently by stating that if Canada doesn’t go ahead with the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets, that will mean the United States would have to buy more of the advanced fighter aircraft for its own air force, and fly them more often into Canadian airspace to address threats approaching the U.S.
The Canadian Armed Forces would need to buy 72 Gripen fighter jets and six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for Swedish manufacturer Saab to deliver on its pledge of creating 12,600 jobs in Canada, CBC News has learned.
Government and industry sources said Saab’s proposals for both aircraft are currently being studied by experts in defence matters and economic benefits in Ottawa.
Top officials from Saab said late last year that they could create about 10,000 jobs in Canada, but the exact size of the aircraft orders required to reach that number had not yet been made public.
Wait a week and Carney will order Fighters from Xi.
OTTAWA – A substantial entry level pay hike for pilots and the acquisition of new and advanced aircraft are “absolutely” helping to shore up Royal Canadian Air Force pilot retention and morale, says the force’s commander.
In a wide-ranging recent interview with The Canadian Press, Commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said she is seeing signs of progress despite the protracted personnel crisis gripping the air force, which remains short of roughly 2,000 trained personnel.
New wish dream aircraft for the imaginary armed forces.
As the Canadian government reviews its commitment to purchase American-made Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, a new poll shows what Canadians think should be prioritized in procuring replacements to the aging CF-18s.
The CTV News and Nanos Research survey gauged Canadian’s views on what matters the most to them in terms of defence cooperation, in light of ongoing trade tensions with the U.S. and a pitch from Swedish manufacturer of the Gripen fighter jet, SAAB, to bring up to 10,000 manufacturing and research jobs to Canada if Ottawa adds the aircraft to its military fleet.
OTTAWA – Critics are questioning the solidity of Saab’s pitch to deliver 10,000 jobs in Canada if it decides to set up shop here to assemble Gripen fighter jets.
The Swedish company has said little about how it came to that number, making it hard to evaluate the offer.
Saab spokesperson Jenny Gerdes said the estimate reflects the “scale of work” the company anticipates bringing to the country, “should the Gripen be selected.”
“The figure is based on projected global demand for Gripen and the corresponding production, sustainment and R&D activities Canada would undertake,” Gerdes said in an email.
Lots of If’s.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s a high-flying tale of carrots, sticks and political flip-flops.
American leaders have been urging Canada to boost its military spending and NATO contributions since the alliance’s founding, back in 1949. Some, like former U.S. president Barack Obama, have been polite about it, encouraging Ottawa that “the world needs more Canada,” while others, especially U.S. President Donald Trump, have been more blunt, referring to Canadians as “freeloaders” who are “delinquent” on military contributions.
The competition focused on each fighter jet’s capabilities in defending the North American continent and the likelihood of success in various missions against modern military forces.
The F-35 got a score of 95 per cent on military capabilities, with a total of 57.1 points out of 60.
By contrast, the Gripen-E finished with a score of 33 per cent, netting 19.8 points out of 60, according to the Department of National Defence (DND) ranking obtained by Radio-Canada.
Elbow People hardest hit.
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.
