Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have proclaimed Canada the world’s first post-national state, but it remains a diehard NATO member and devoted Lockheed Martin customer.

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Agence France-Presse
March 28, 2022

Canada to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin

Canada announced plans Monday to buy 88 US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to replace its aging fleet, and meet new threats including from Russia.

Canada announced plans on Monday to buy 88 US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to replace its aging fleet, with deliveries to start as early as 2025.

The F-35 “has proven to be a mature, capable and interoperable aircraft and that is why we are moving to the finalization phase of this procurement,” Defense Minister Anita Anand told a joint news conference with Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi.

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Top bidder Lockheed Martin beat out Saab’s Gripen, after Boeing’s Superhornet was excluded from the running, and an Airbus-led consortium and France’s Dassault Aviation withdrew their Typhoon and Rafale fighters, respectively, from the competition.

Ottawa had earmarked Can$19 billion (US$15 billion) for the purchase….

Canada spent two decades helping to develop the stealth fighter with the United States and its allies, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he swept to power in 2015 cancelled a previous contract to buy the F-35, calling it too expensive.

The investment in the military, according to a government statement on Monday, will be the most significant in more than 30 years.