Defence Department receives approval for initial $7 billion order of 16 F-35 warplanes

The Canadian Press reports: “The Department of National Defence has quietly received approval to buy 16 F-35 fighter jets and related gear for a price tag of $7 billion.”

“The approval covers an initial set of 16 F-35s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, as well as spare parts, weapons and various startup costs associated with obtaining new jets, such as building new facilities.”

The article adds: “Two defence sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public, say a funding request sent to the Treasury Board got the green light earlier this month.”

The Canadian government remains committed to purchasing 88 fighter jets for an estimated $15-19 billion. The Canadian Press notes: “Sources said Canada will be purchasing [the remaining 72] F-35s in blocks over the next few years.”

Weapons

The article does not specific what weapons or the break-down of the specific costs of how much will be spent on bombs and missiles.

Further reading: Canada continues to invest in F-35 stealth fighter with nuclear strike capabilities (August 16, 2021).

Building new facilities

It has been previously reported, however, that some of the F-35s will be stationed at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in northern Alberta.

Further reading: New warplanes signal the Canadian military’s continued occupation of Dene Su’lene’ lands in northern Alberta (November 24, 2021).

Overall costs

As we have previously highlighted, the Government of Canada has not publicly stated how much the full order of 88 F-35 warplanes will cost over its expected 30 year lifespan.

In June of this year, Anne Ngoh Ngando of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer stated: “At this time, we are not currently planning any further analysis [beyond their March 2011 fiscal report] of the F-35.”

That study (at a time when the Government said it would purchase 65 F-35s for $9 billion) concluded: “Relying on historical trends and applicable cost drivers, the PBO was able to forecast a total ownership cost of approximately US$ 29.3 billion for the 65 aircraft over a 30-year period. This includes both acquisition and long-term sustainment costs and reflects a 75% confidence interval.”

But in their September 2022 study, the No Fighter Jet Coalition estimated the lifecycle cost of 88 F-35s to be $76.8 billion (including the $19 billion acquisition cost).

Unanswered questions

The Department of National Defence Department has also not disclosed how much it has budgeted or expects to spend on missiles and bombs for the F-35s over the next 30 years. It has also not disclosed the casualty figures from the estimated 1,598 offensive bombing missions against Iraq, Syria, Libya and Serbia conducted by the current fleet of CF-18s over the last 30 years.

And with the news of this imminent contract coming just weeks after the COP27 summit concluded in Egypt, we also note that the Government of Canada has not disclosed any figures in relation to the projected greenhouse gas emissions from these warplanes.

We continue to express our concerns about the consequences and lack of information about the purchase and use of these warplanes.