Opponents Warn Purchase Would Only Support US Defense Industry

The Canadian government has until 2012 to decide how it is going replace its fleet CF-18s, but the military recently told Lockheed Martin it will spend almost $4 billion for the purchase of 80 of its Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning II over the next 10 years.

An air force study in 2006 concluded the F-35 best suited Canada's requirements of a fighter for air-to-air NORAD missions and air-to-surface missions against targets in Canadian or foreign waters, at the best price, according to the CanWest News Service.

As ANN has reported, the F-35 is the first military aircraft to be produced by an international coalition of eight nations to design, finance, build and sell the jet.

The premise of the F-35 is the production of large quantities of a high-tech, stealthy aircraft that is relatively affordable so that not only nations that are part of the development coalition can afford them, but so can ones that are not as the international partnership stipulated.

Last year, the Canadian government agreed to take part in development phase of the program, committing to spending around $500 million over 45 years for specialized production equipment -- of which about $150 million has already been spent.

The other international partners, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Australia and Denmark that make up the development coalition, have said they will purchase 600 to 700 of the aircraft, with a price tag of around $75 million each for a basic model and up to $90 million for more advanced versions.

Possibly limiting the actual number of F-35s actually needed by Canada could be affected by unmanned fighter aircraft, as some military observers have noted.

"One doesn't know where technology might end up in five years from now, for example, on unmanned tactical platforms and how many of the missions can be performed using unmanned capabilities versus manned tactical capabilities," Mike Slack, the Department of National Defense director of continental material co-operation said. That dilemma is being faced by all nations interested in the aircraft, he added.

But, the program could prove beneficial not just to the military, but for Canada's entire aerospace industry.

So far, Canadian firms have been awarded around 150 F-35 contracts. According to government officials, Canadian industrial opportunities are expected to total more than $5 billion over the life of the program.

"There is nothing like this anywhere," Slack said. "This is the largest defense co-operative program ever undertaken by Canada and for that matter all the other countries involved in it."

Canada's decision does have its critics, however. University of British Columbia international law professor Michael Byers is not convinced this particular aircraft is best for his country.

"What is certain is that the Canadian taxpayer will, once again, end up supporting the US defense industry," writes Byers in his new book, Intent for a Nation.

Officials point out that all numbers given regarding this program are just that: numbers. The whole process is in the planning stages and could very well change, according to CanWest.

FMI: www.forces.gc.ca, www.lockheedmartin.com