Canada has finalised an agreement with Lockheed Martin and the United States government to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets, government officials said.
The first four aircraft are anticipated to be delivered in 2026 with full operational capacity for the fleet expected between 2032 and 2034.
The government has budgeted about 19 billion Canadian dollars for the purchase in what is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in over 30 years.
Each jet costs about $85 million.
The full life cycle of the programme is expected to cost 70 billion Canadian dollars.
Canada has a close defence relationship with the United States, which includes using fighter jets together to defend North American air space.
Monday’s announcement came as Canadia prime minister Justin Trudeau was set to meet with US president Joe Biden at the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico.
The government said last year Lockheed Martin’s F-35 was deemed to be the top-ranked bidder for a new fighter jet to replace ageing F-18s, deciding against Boeing’s Super Hornet.
Meanwhile, Canada bought some Australian F-18s to help extend the life of the Canadian F-18 programme until 2032.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Mr Trudeau said Canada would not buy the F-35.
A former Conservative Canadian government had announced the purchase but Mr Trudeau’s Liberal government delayed it and opened up the bidding to competition.
“As our world grows darker with Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, this project has taken on heightened significance, especially the importance of interoperability with our allies,” defence minister Anita Anand said.
“We need to ensure that especially in this changing global strategic environment we are that we are fulfilling our obligations to Norad and to Nato.”
Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said it was inevitable that Canada would opt for the F-35, especially since many other western allies have bought the F-35.
“The Liberals opposed the purchase a few years ago when they were in opposition. They did so because the Conservative government favoured it,” Mr Wiseman said.
“Unlike Americans, Canadians generally oppose increased defence spending and the F-35 is expensive. The proposed purchase received public blowback when the Conservatives were in office and the Liberals wanted to capitalise on it,” she said.
Mr Wiseman said Mr Biden will welcome the investment — F-35s are made in Fort Worth, Texas — but the US has been expecting it for some time so it will not be a surprise.
Maintaining and operating the jets should involve 3,300 jobs and add $425 million annually to Canada’s GDP, the Canadian government said.
