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| A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet |
David Pugliese
VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has slammed the F-35, labeling the aircraft as a fighter that “does not work,” as his government considers the purchase of Boeing Super Hornets instead.
The Liberal Party government’s consideration of a purchase of an undisclosed number of Super Hornets as an “interim” aircraft to deal with a fighter capability gap touched off a storm of controversy in the House of Commons.
Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose accused Trudeau of selecting a fighter jet without the proper knowledge of what the Royal Canadian Air Force needs.
But Trudeau said the previous Conservative government botched the procurement of a new jet. “They left us a mess we are going to fix,” he said June 7 in the House of Commons.
“Canadians know full well that for 10 years, the Conservatives completely missed the boat when it came to delivering to Canadians and their armed forces the equipment they needed,” Trudeau added. “They clung to an aircraft (the F-35) that does not work and is far from working.”
The Conservative government had committed to purchasing 65 F-35s. The plan was put on hold, however, as technical issues with the aircraft continued to make headlines. The Conservatives and the Canadian military were also accused by critics of trying to hide the full cost of the F-35 procurement.
During last year’s election campaign Trudeau said if his government was elected it would not buy the F-35. He said the aircraft didn’t fit Canada’s needs and was too expensive.
Earlier in the week, industry and defense sources said the Liberals were examining the purchase of the Super Hornets.
Read the full story at DefenseNews