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DUBAI: Canada expects fifth-generation
fighter contract by 2021
11 NOVEMBER, 2017 SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
BY: LEIGH GIANGRECO DUBAI
The Royal Canadian Air Force expects to release a new
request for proposals for its fifth-generation fighter competition by 2019 with
a contract award by 2021, the RCAF’s commander says this week.
In June, Canada proposed 88 new fighters for the RCAF, an
increase from the previous government’s plan to purchase 65 jets to replace the
aging CF-18 fleet, but did not outline a timeline for the RFP.
Canada launched an open competition for the CF-18
replacement last summer following a campaign promise from Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau’s Liberal party to step away from the controversial Lockheed Martin
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The government is considering all options, including
the F-35, although a Boeing F/A-18 acquisition appears unlikely in the wake of
the airframer's commercial dispute with Bombardier.
RCAF commander Lt Gen Michael Hood would not comment
directly on whether Boeing’s Super Hornet is still under consideration in the
competition. This autumn the government announced it had suspended direct
engagement with Boeing.
“I would say my personal relationship is limited to the
support of our ongoing Boeing products and those normal day-to-day discussions
we would have with them,” Hood tells FlightGlobal at the annual Dubai
International Air Chiefs Conference.
Meanwhile, Canada is considering options for an interim
CF-18 replacement. The government had previously proposed buying 18 new Super
Hornets, but the commercial dispute has pushed the government to change course
and examine Canada’s used Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornets. Last month, Canada
submitted a formal declaration known as an expression of interest to Australia.
Canada operates a similar Hornet configuration and both the CF-18s and
Australian F/A-18A/Bs began operating within a few years of each other. Canada
also bought the intellectual property on the jet and already uses L-3 for
F/A-18 sustainment, Hood adds.
Original post: flightglobal.com
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