Defense Secretary Bill Blair said late Friday that Canada is actively studying potential alternatives to the U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter and will have a conversation with rival aircraft manufacturers hours after serving as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet.
The remarks come a day after Portugal marked a day after planning to abandon its acquisition of high-tech fighter jets.
The country’s re-examination comes in a political battle against the Trump administration’s tariffs and threats to the annexation of Canada by the U.S. president’s economic forces.
There was a lot of support among Canadians, killing the $19 billion purchase and finding other aircraft besides those made and maintained in the United States.
After years of delays, the Liberal government signed a contract with US defense giant Lockheed Martin in June 2023 to purchase 88 F-35 aircraft.
Blair told CBC Power and politics.
“This is the fighter that our Air Force has identified as the platform they need, but we are working on other alternatives – whether we need all of these fighters to be the F-35.” Blair told host David Cochrane.
Canada has put down funds for the first 16 fighter jets, which will be delivered early next year.
Canada Looking for suppliers other than us: Blair
Blair hinted that the first F-35s might be accepted, and the rest of the team would be made up of aircraft from European suppliers, such as Swedish-made Saab Gripen, which ranked second in the race.
“The Prime Minister asked me to study these things and discuss them with other sources, especially where there may be opportunities to assemble these fighters in Canada,” Blair said.
This is an indirect reference to the Swedish proposal that promises a parliament in Canada and that intellectual property will be transferred, which will allow the aircraft to be maintained in the country.
Main maintenance, overhauls and software upgrades of the F-35 occur in the United States.
The Canadian concept flew a hybrid fighter plane, a long-time boycott of the Air Force, despite the purchase of the current CF-18 until the 1980s. This would mean two different training regimes, separate hangars and infrastructure, and another supply chain – all of these defense planners have insisted that it was too expensive for decades.
Before Blair’s statement, Lockheed Martin was asked about Portugal’s plan to withdraw from the program and whether it would have an impact on Canada.
“Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing this partnership into the future,” Rebecca Miller, director of global media relations at Lockheed Martin, said in a statement.
“Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, so the U.S. or the respective client government will best address anything further.”
Miller also talked about online misinformation, suggesting that the F-35 has what is called a “kill switch” that can shut down aircraft belonging to allies, or if the U.S. government orders companies to do so, it can shut down aircraft belonging to allies, or hinder its capabilities.
“As part of our government contract, we provide the system infrastructure and data that all F-35 customers need to maintain aircraft,” Miller said. “We remain committed to providing customers with affordable and reliable maintenance services that enable them to complete tasks and get home safely.”
If Canada does not make full purchases, there will be some form of contract fine. How much is obtained from the contract is unclear.
Billie Flynn, a retired lieutenant and former F-35 test pilot, said the threat posed by Trump is confident in the U.S. defense department.
“I believe Canada has to adopt a trading perspective that it is a contract that will last or risky trust risk.
Another consideration for any possible full or partial withdrawal from the F-35 contract is that Aerospace Canada is part of the fighter supply chain, which contributed $1.3 billion to the country’s economy between 1997 and 2021.
