[CaptainCrunch]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/f35...230946?cmp=rss

The U.S. Air Force F-35 demonstration team will visit Ottawa in September on the eve of this fall's federal election — just as the competition to replace Canada's aging CF-18s starts heating up.


The stealth fighter is one of four warplanes in the $19 billion contest, which was formally launched with a request for proposals by the Liberal government on July 23.

Officials with the Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defence contractor, conducted a background briefing on Tuesday to tout its planned bid, pointing out that the warplane — which has been well over a decade in development — is now in service with eight nations and has even flown combat missions with the U.S. Air Force, the Marine Corps, the Royal Air Force and the Israeli air force.


"This a mature aircraft," said a company official who was authorized to speak with the media only on background.


Critics and competitors have slammed the stealth fighter over both its upfront price tag and the ongoing cost to maintain it.


Lockheed Martin officials insisted Tuesday that by the time Canada is ready to buy its new fighters — roughly in 2022 — the purchase price is expected to be lower than US $80 million per plane and the per-hour cost of maintaining and flying it will be reduced to US $25,000, which would be a 25 per cent drop from the current figure.