The F-35 is still in the running for Canada’s next generation fighter procurement despite the nation announcing it intends purchase an additional 18 F/A-18s Super Hornets from Boeing [BA], according to an analyst.
Lexington Institute COO Loren Thompson said Tuesday he believes Canada will, eventually, buy the F-35 because fourth generation fighters like the Super Hornet will have great difficulty surviving 20 years from now in places like Europe.
“The Super Hornet has many years to go before its lack of stealth becomes fatal,” Thompson said. “It doesn’t take a lot of expertise to see where combat is headed.”
Canada on Tuesday said it would initiate discussions with the United States and Super Hornet developer Boeing on a potential procurement of, and in-service support for, 18 F/A-18s for use over an interim period. This, the nation said, would supplement the current fleet of CF-18s until the transition to a permanent replacement.
These discussions, Canada said, will determine if the U.S. and Boeing can provide the interim solution at a cost, time, level of capability and economic value that are acceptable to Canada. Canadian Ministry of Defence spokesman Jordan Owens said if the F-35 exits the development process by the time of the nation’s procurement competition, it can be considered along with any other aircraft that meets Canada’s needs. U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) recently railed against the F-35 program for further development delays (Defense Daily, Nov. 15).
“We need a plane that is not in development,” a female Canadian official said during a press conference Wednesday. She said negotiations would begin immediately, but did not provide a timetable for when Canada expects to field the new Super Hornets.
Canada’s current fleet of fighter aircraft is now more than 30 years old and is down from 138 to 77 aircraft. Canada is a partner nation on the F-35, which is being developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT] with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].
Canada said it will continue participating in F-35 until at least a contract award for the permanent fleet. Canada said this will allow it to maximize the benefits of the partnership and also gives Canada the option to buy the aircraft through the program, should the F-35 be successful in the competitive process for the permanent fleet.
Boeing spokesman Scott Day said in a statement that the company has invested $6 billion in Canada’s aerospace industry over the last five years. The company, he said, believes the Super Hornet is the perfect complement to Canada’s current and future fighter fleet.
The CF-18 has recently been put through a two-phase modernization program, a comprehensive mid-life upgrade to ensure that the Canadian military has a modern and interoperable fighter fleet, according to Canada. Phase I of the Incremental Modernization Project was completed in 2006, providing the procurement and installation of a new radar, jam-resistant radios, mission computers and embedded global positioning systems (GPS).
Phase II of the Incremental Modernization Project, which was finished in 2010, included the installation and integration of a tactical data link system, helmet cueing system, color displays, upgraded countermeasures dispensers, and a triple-deck cockpit video recorder, among outfitting the CF-18s with other technologically advanced equipment.