Lockheed Martin is required to deliver the first nine fully operational F-35 Lightning II fifth generation fighters to Canada before Christmas of 2027

Lockheed Martin is required to deliver the first nine fully operational F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighters to Canada before Christmas of 2027

By Dario Leone
Jun 21 2022
Share this article

Canadian government documents have disclosed that Lockheed Martin is required to deliver the first nine fully operational F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighters to Canada by Dec. 1, 2027.

Canadian government documents have disclosed that Lockheed Martin is required to deliver the first nine fully operational F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighters to Canada by Dec. 1, 2027, Alert 5 first noted.

The last aircraft will have to be delivered before Dec. 31, 2031.

According to Ottawa Citizen, procurement Minister Filomena Tassi has publicly stated the first of the stealth fighters could come as early as 2025.

But the mandatory delivery criteria Lockheed Martin agreed to as part of its winning bid stipulates, “the 9th fully mission capable future fighter platform will be delivered no earlier than 1 December 2025 and no later than 1 December 2027.”

The Liberal government plans to purchase 88 US-built F-35s.

Lockheed Martin declined to comment on its delivery schedule for the new jets.

On Jul. 16 2010, the Government of Canada under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced its intention to buy 65 F-35s to replace the Canadian Forces’ 80 CF-188 Hornets.

Then, on Oct. 19, 2015 the Liberal Party of Canada under Justin Trudeau won the country federal election and in early Jun. 2016 decided to buy the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as more affordable alternative to the F-35.

But Canada’s government cancelled a planned $2 billion purchase of 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters because of a decision by Boeing to launch a trade challenge against Canadian planemaker Bombardier, which the US giant accuses of dumping airliners on the domestic American market.

F-35A print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-35A Lightning II 56th OG, 61st FS, LF/12-5050 / 2014

In May 2019 the Canadian government launched a new fighter competition to replace Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)’s CF-188 Hornets.

Lockheed Martin pitched its F-35 stealth fighter, Boeing offered the F/A-18 Super Hornet and Saab the latest variant of its JAS-39 — the Gripen E version.

Airbus with the Eurofighter and Dassault with the Rafale withdrew earlier from the competition citing concerns about meeting Canadian requirements for interoperability with US forces for NORAD security.

The Liberal government announced in March that the F-35 had been selected as RCAF’s new fighter jet and negotiations with Lockheed Martin and the US government were underway to finalize the purchase. Those negotiations are expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Some defence industry observers have questioned whether Lockheed Martin will be able to meet Canada’s delivery schedule as other allies are ahead in line for the jets and there are still unresolved technical issues with the F-35.

Canada is a partner in the F-35 program and has contributed more than $600 million US for the aircraft’s development over time.

Under the F-35 agreement, partner nations such as Canada are prohibited from imposing requirements for industrial benefits as the work on the fighter jets is determined on the best-value basis. Canadian firms compete, and, if they are good enough, they receive contracts. Canadian firms have earned more than $2 billion in contracts to build F-35 parts, Lockheed Martin says.

Photo credit: Alain Rioux via Wikipedia

Lockheed F-35 Lightning II model
This model is available from AirModels! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS.

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.



    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