Boeing releases statement saying it "respects Canada's choice to buy second-hand F/A-18 Hornet fighters from the RAAF"

BOEING RELEASES STATEMENT SAYING IT “RESPECTS CANADA’S CHOICE TO BUY SECOND-HAND F/A-18 HORNET FIGHTERS FROM THE RAAF”

By Dario Leone
Dec 12 2017
Share this article

Boeing will continue to look to find productive ways to work with Canada in the future

Boeing issued a statement on Dec. 8 regarding media reports saying Canada has decided to buy used F/A-18 Legacy Hornet fighters from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in lieu of new Super Hornet fighter jets.

Boeing says it “respects the Canadian government’’s decision and applauds the government’s continued use of a two engine fighter solution, which is a critical part of their northern Arctic border defense, NORAD cooperation, and coast to coast to coast security.”

It added that it “will continue to look to find productive ways to work together (with Canada) in the future. […] Our commitment to creating a level playing field in aerospace remains. Therefore, we will continue to support all efforts to build an environment of free and fair competition marked by compliance with agreed upon rules.”

As we have recently reported Canada will announce soon its intention to buy second-hand F/A-18 Hornets from Australia and give up plans to buy new Super Hornets from Boeing.

The move underlines Ottawa’s anger at a decision by Boeing to launch a trade challenge against Canadian plane maker Bombardier, which the U.S. giant accuses of dumping airliners on the domestic American market.

The Canadian government said in 2016 it would enter into discussions with the U.S. on buying several samples of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft as interim fighter to supplement RCAF CF-18 fleet and then holding an open competition to determine which aircraft will be Canada’s “definitive” fighter.

VF-31 F/A-18E Print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F/A-18E Super Hornet VFA-31 Tomcatters, AJ100 / 166776. CVW-8, USS George H. W. Bush CVN-77, 2014

But on May 18, 2017 Canada’s government Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned that her country could have cancelled the planned $2 billion purchase of 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters because of U.S. Department of Commerce anti-dumping investigations against Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier. Boeing in fact claimed the same day that since Bombardier’s new larger C Series passenger aircraft receives Canadian government subsidies that can give it advantages on international market, duties should be imposed on the Canadian airliner.

On Sep. 6, after a Canadian delegation travelled to Australia to see whether second-hand RAAF F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets could satisfy Canada’s requirement for an “interim” fleet, Canada’s Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said that the Australian Hornets are very similar to F/A-18s flown by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and confirmed that the aircraft will fit the service needs for an “interim” fighter.

By buying the Australian Hornets Canada would save money as well as avoid the need to train its pilots on a new aircraft or spend money on a new supply chain.

Canada is due to officially announce the requirements for its new fighter fleet in early 2019, kicking off an open competition.

Boeing releases statement saying it "respects Canada's choice to buy second-hand F/A-18 Hornet fighters from the RAAF"

One potential contender is Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially said he would not buy because it was too expensive. The government has since softened its line, saying the plane would be allowed to compete.

Photo credit: Royal Australian Air Force and R. Nial Bradshaw / U.S. Air Force

Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

Error: Contact form not found.


Share this article
Back to top
My Agile Privacy
This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

List of some possible advertising permissions:

You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices