Canada's CF-18 replacement delayed

Canada has informed the U.S. government that no purchase of the F-35 will happen before 2018 which is after the next federal election, reports Defense News.

If the conservatives loose the election, which is scheduled for October 2015, it could mean more delay or even cancellation of the project.

Other parties prefer an open competition for the CF-18 replacement.

So far, there is no proof that the F-35 will be affordable for Canada to own and operate. There are also significant development problems. Even if Canada bought the F-35 in 2018 it would still be with an absence of significant operational knowledge due to the many years of delay, engineering problems and immaturity of the aircraft.

The last time Canada picked Lockheed Martin for its preferred fighter aircraft, almost half of the CF-104s were lost to attrition.

Given the many unknowns with the F-35, this is not over-stating the risk.


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