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Canada plans to explore the acquisition of 18 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets to fill a Royal Canadian Air Force “capability gap” created by deficiencies in its current aging fleet of CF-188 Hornets, setting the stage for a “wide open and transparent” competition for replacement of the entire fighter fleet.
Announcing the decision Nov. 22 after a cabinet meeting, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan – joined at a press conference by Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains; and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Jonathan Vance – said talks would begin immediately with Boeing Corp. and the United States government, which must approve military exports.
Another key element of the announcement was that the RCAF would upgrade maintenance to ensure the current fleet remains operational through the next decade. Vance said more aggressive CF-188 maintenance should ensure that the current fleet, which has been operated for an average of 35 years, does not become susceptible to “anything catastrophic.”
Sajjan also said Canada would remain part of the multinational Joint Strike Fighter Program through which Lockheed Martin developed the F-35 Lightning II chosen by the former Conservative government.
“A modern fighter jet is an essential tool for the security of the continent” through the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) he said, also calling them “a key element of our commitment” to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Fighter jets are also required for other missions from time to time. In light of these imperatives, the previous government’s failure to act on fighter jet replacement has been a serious problem for Canada. The fighters our air force currently flies are 35 years old right now and should have been replaced years ago.”
While Sajjan declined to go into “classified” mission details, he did say that Canada’s “capability gap” has led to “capability loss” as evidenced by the fact that “the number of mission-ready planes we have today is less than the obligations to NORAD and NATO taken together.”
While the minister would not speculate on what might happen to the Super Hornets once the planned open competition yields a clear winner to succeed the Hornets, Vance pointed out that the RCAF has had mixed fighter fleets in the past, but not for several decades.
Foote promised “rigorous industry engagement” on the competition, a five-year process involving a request for proposals, bid submission and then multi-departmental evaluation. Whether the evaluation will rely solely on technical information or there might be a fly-off among contenders remains to be seen.
Bains, who met with major players during the latest Aerospace Industries Association of Canada summit in Ottawa, said the fleet replacement contract, which also would include an in-service support element, would ensure that 100 per cent of the contract value would be invested in Canada.
“Canadian companies will be heavily involved in supporting the new fleet once operational,” he said, adding that this could lead to export opportunities for Canadian suppliers.
Vance called the proposed interim solution to the “capability gap” a “great day” for the RCAF and the overall announcement “a firm commitment to Canadian air power for decades to come.”
