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Canada reconsiders F-35 purchase, explores alternative fighter jets

OTTAWA — Canada is reassessing its purchase of US-made F-35 stealth fighters and has begun talks with competing aircraft manufacturers, Defense Minister Bill Blair announced late Friday, just hours after being reappointed in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly established Cabinet.

His remarks came after Portugal signaled plans to abandon its purchase of the advanced warplane.

The review is taking place amid escalating tensions between Canada and the Trump administration over tariffs and economic pressure, with US President Donald Trump threatening to annex Canada through trade measures.

After years of delays, the Liberal government finalized a contract with US defense giant Lockheed Martin in June 2023 to acquire 88 F-35 jets.

"It was the fighter jet identified by our air force as the platform that they required, but we are also examining other alternatives — whether we need all of those fighter jets to be F-35s," Blair told CBC’s Power & Politics.

Canada has already made an initial payment for the first 16 warplanes, set to be delivered early next year.

Blair said while the first batch of F-35s might still be accepted, the remainder of the fleet could be sourced from European manufacturers, including Sweden’s Saab Gripen, which was the runner-up in the procurement process.

"The prime minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada," Blair said.

Lockheed Martin responded to the news, emphasizing its long-standing partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

"Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future," Rebecca Miller, the company’s director of global media relations, said in a statement.

"Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, so anything further will be best addressed by the US or respective customer governments," she added. — Agencies

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