Ottawa: Canada is actively seeking alternatives to the US-made F-35 stealth fighters, with Defense Minister Bill Blair announcing discussions with competing aircraft manufacturers. This development came shortly after Blair was reappointed in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly formed Cabinet.
According to Anadolu Agency, Blair’s announcement coincides with Portugal’s decision to reconsider its purchase of the advanced warplane. The Canadian government’s reassessment is occurring against the backdrop of a tense political standoff with the Trump administration, involving tariffs and threats from the US president to exert economic pressure on Canada.
Despite finalizing a contract with US defense giant Lockheed Martin in June 2023 to acquire 88 F-35 jets, Blair indicated that Canada is exploring other options. “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 explained on CBC’s PowerandPolitics.
Canada has already paid for the first 16 F-35 warplanes, expected to be delivered early next year. Blair mentioned the possibility of accepting these jets while diversifying the remainder of the fleet with aircraft from European manufacturers, like the Swedish-built Saab Gripen, which was the runner-up in the competition.
“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 added.
Lockheed Martin’s director of global media relations, Rebecca Miller, emphasized the company’s ongoing 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,” Miller stated. She also noted that foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, suggesting that further discussions would be best handled by the US or respective customer governments.