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Scott Taylor: The F-35 and the politics of procurement

RCAF leadership determined to get jets

It has long been clear that the senior brass of the Royal Canadian Air Force want to replace their aged-out fleet of CF-18 Hornet fighter jets with Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning fighters and only the F-35.

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This desire is not new. It dates back to 1997, when the F-35 was no more than a concept on the drawing board and Canada signed on as one of the original international partners. It was seen as an opportunity for Canadian aviation companies to get in on the ground floor of a project that seemingly had limitless potential.

In 2010, the Stephen Harper Conservatives announced their intention to purchase 65 F-35s for a cost of $9 billion, with the first aircraft being delivered to the RCAF in 2016. However, by 2012, the F-35 had run into several delays, cost overruns and mechanical teething troubles. Amid a barrage of negative media coverage, the Harper government pushed the reset button on the entire F-35 purchase.

During the 2015 federal election, the Justin Trudeau Liberals campaigned on a platform that if elected they would purchase any fighter jet except the F-35. Trudeau did sweep into power in that election, and the RCAF bosses rightfully feared for their pet F-35 fighter project.

However, following relentless lobbying by Lockheed Martin and the U.S. State Department, the Trudeau Liberals reluctantly relented and allowed the F-35 to compete to replace the even older CF-18 Hornet fleet.

In 2022, the results of that RCAF competition were released and, lo and behold, the F-35 was deemed to be the best fighter and the only........

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