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| CF-18 Hornet (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By: David Pugliese
VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canada has revamped its policy on how to meet its air-defense commitments to protecting North America and contributing to NATO, prompting a decision to boost the number of fighter jets it will buy in the future.
Canada is currently buying 18 Super Hornets from Boeing as a stop-gap measure, before eventually holding a competition to acquire a fleet of aircraft to form its future fighter fleet.
The number of new fighters outlined by the Royal Canadian Air Force for the previous Conservative Party government for that future fleet was 65.
But the current Liberal Party government has determined that is not enough, and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says that figure will have to be increased.
The Liberal Party government changed defense policy earlier this year to require the Royal Canadian Air Force to meet its commitments to NATO and NORAD simultaneously.
Sajjan didn’t outline how many new aircraft the government will purchase. But he noted that the new number would be outlined in the Liberal Party government’s defense policy to be released early next year.
Read the full story at DefenseNews