Canada receives first F-35 jets from U.S., as full order remains under review
Canada has received its first two F-35 fighter jets, with delivery accepted at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on Thursday and announced by the Royal Canadian Air Force on Friday. The jets are part of a planned order for 88 aircraft from Lockheed Martin, but Prime Minister Mark Carney has paused the plan, and Ottawa is weighing how many to buy, possibly alongside Swedish Gripen jets.
Brief news points:
- Delivery of the first two jets — Lockheed Martin CF-35A aircraft — was accepted at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, Oct. 22. The Royal Canadian Air Force announced on Friday, on social media, that it had received them.
- The air force did not immediately say when pilot training with the new planes will start.
- The jets are part of a planned order for 88 stealth fighter jets. Prime Minister Mark Carney has paused plans to proceed with that order, and Ottawa is still deciding how many of the American planes it will buy.
- Carney launched a review of the purchase amid U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated trade and annexation threats; the review was supposed to have concluded a year ago.
- One alternative raised is a mixed fleet that includes Gripen jets from Swedish manufacturer Saab. Former foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy has warned that Washington retains control over software the F-35 relies on, while the U.S. ambassador has praised the jets.
Source: CBC News. Visit the CBCNEWSAPP for the full story.
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Share this with a Canadian following the future of Canada's air force — should Ottawa go ahead with all 88 F-35 jets, or choose a mixed fleet with Swedish Gripen jets instead?
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