Ottawa has launched a new competition worth upwards of $20 billion to replace the country’s aging fleet of fighter jets.
The federal government has finally launched its long-delayed competition to build new fighter jets. The competition is for a contract to provide the Canadian military with 88 new planes at a cost of between $15 billion and $20 billion. Initial proposals are due in spring 2020, with a winner named in 2022 and the first aircraft delivery scheduled for 2025, according to a written statement from the federal government.
Aerospace companies Airbus SE, Boeing Co., Sweden’s Saab AB and Lockheed Martin Corp. are each expected to bid on the Canadian fighter jet contract. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet is viewed as the front-runner in the competition.
Canada’s Defense Department said that there had been "intense engagement" with all the eligible suppliers while drafting the contract requirements, and that thousands of changes were made prior to the Request for Proposal being issued.
Canada’s current fleet of CF-18 fighter jets have been in use since 1983 and are coming to the end of their operational life
