News reports: Canada to buy Lockheed Martin F-35 warplanes

The Canadian Press reports: “The Liberal government is expected to announce today it will enter into final negotiations on purchasing the F-35 fighter jet. Government and industry sources have told The Canadian Press the negotiations with manufacturer Lockheed Martin will be announced at a news conference this afternoon.”

The Globe and Mail also notes: “The Canadian government has selected Lockheed Martin Corp., the American manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jet, as its preferred bidder in a $19-billion search for a new warplane.”

And Reuters adds: “Canada will announce on Monday [March 28] that Lockheed Martin Corp is the preferred bidder to supply 88 new fighter jets, a clear sign the U.S. company is set to win the multibillion-dollar contract, said an industry source close to the file.”

That article further notes: “Ottawa says it hopes to award the contract this year and take delivery of the first jets in 2025.”

Updates

The CBC now reports: “Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand made the announcement Monday.”

The Government of Canada media release can also be read in full here.

It notes: “During the finalization phase, the US government and Lockheed Martin must successfully demonstrate that a resulting contract would meet all of Canada’s requirements and outcomes, including value for money, flexibility, protection against risks, and performance and delivery assurances, as well as high-value economic benefits for Canada’s aerospace and defence industry.”

Tweet from Ottawa Citizen reporter David Pugliese.

Our questions about the procurement process can be read here.

Background

The Government of Canada’s Future fighter capability project webpage notes that a contract will be awarded in 2022 for “88 advanced fighter aircraft”.

As a partner country in the development of the F-35, Canada has already invested USD $613 million (approximately CAD $773 million) in the warplane since 1997.

While an official estimate has not been released, it has been calculated that buying the F-35s will cost $76.8 billion over 30 years.

Next month, a Global Mobilization to #StopLockheedMartin will take place on April 28, the same week as the company’s annual meeting.

In a recent statement on the war in Ukraine, Peace Brigades International highlighted: “The dominant security discourse associated with the militarization of societies is a setback. Billions more spent on weapons will not make the world safer.”