The Canadian government this week retreated from its commitment to procure the F-35 strike fighter, announcing that it is re-launching the search to replace its aged CF-18 Hornet fleet. The Royal Canadian Air Force requirements “that led to the selection of the F-35 will be set aside and not used as part of this new evaluation of options,” stated Rona Ambrose, Canada’s minister of public works and government services, in a Dec. 12 release. The Canadian government has taken this fighter procurement away from Canada’s defense department and handed it to the public works agency after an unfavorable audit of the F-35’s projected lifecycle costs in April. Though Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly underscored his government’s commitment to the F-35, the fighter has long been a political target of his Liberal Party opposition. “Last April, we set out a Seven-Point Plan to hit the reset button on the process to replace the CF-18 aircraft,” said Ambrose. Release of the plan’s criteria this week permits “a full consideration of the options available,” she added. Canada was an original partner in the F-35’s development and planned to buy 65 of the strike fighters. The agency hasn’t ruled out the F-35 entirely, but will consider options such as Boeing’s F-18E/F Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, or extending the service life of the legacy Hornets, reported Bloomberg on Dec. 13.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.