From the looks of this article it looks like the F-35 is no longer an option.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/p...r-fighter-jets
Quote:
The new costing comes as Ottawa goes back to the drawing board in its controversial search for a fighter jet to replace its fleet of aging CF-18s.
Stung by mounting costs and criticism of a bungled purchase, the federal Conservatives are shaking up their procurement process once more, this time naming an independent expert panel to oversee the work of federal officials.
At the heart of their work are two key questions: What capabilities does the air force need in its next fighter and what jet best meets those demands?
Candidates include the Boeing Super Hornet, an upgrade of the CF-18 now flown by the RCAF; the French-designed Dassault Rafale; the Swedish Saab Gripen; and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
That work, expected to take about three months, will be monitored and reviewed by an independent panel that includes:
• Philippe Lagassé, an assistant professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, who has raised pointed questions about the process to purchase the F-35. He wrote earlier this year, “The key question that must be asked is why the F-35 is the only possible future fighter aircraft for the Canadian Forces.”
• Retired Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard who headed the NATO air war over Libya in 2011 that included CF-18s. He brings the experience of someone who commanded the use of jets in a recent conflict.
• Keith Coulter, past chief of the Communications Security Establishment and a former fighter pilot who commanded a CF-18 squadron and was also a member of the Snowbirds aerobatic team.
• Rod Monette, a former federal comptroller-general and chartered accountant who served with the defence department.
At the heart of the current review is the question whether military brass became fixated on the F-35 early on at the expense of other, cheaper planes
|
I feel we should pursue the F-35 even with the estimated costs over the 42 year lifespan approaching $40 billion. We could spend a billion dollars a year on far worse things that jets.