Lockheed Martin photo
By Alan Williams (Former ADM-Mat at DND)
In an op-ed published on June 11, 2025 in the National Post, the authors Alexander Lanoszka, Richard Shimooka and Balkan Devlen argued that a mixed fleet of fighter jets is not the answer for Canada’s Air Force. I do not know whether or not a mixed fleet of fighter jets is or is not the answer for Canada’s Air Force. I do know that the arguments put forward by the authors are glib and without any supporting evidence. To assert that “a mixed fighter fleet will only further undermine the CAF and Canada’s national security” is hyperbolic to the extreme.
Any decision regarding Canada’s fighter jets will have to take into consideration costs, operational capabilities and the political fallout. The bureaucrats should be able to provide the Prime Minister with the detailed analysis regarding costs and the impact on operations. The political fallout is obviously for the Government to assess. Most assuredly, it will need to ensure that we do business with diverse and reliable partners while advancing Canadian expertise.
With respect to costs, we need to first understand the real costs to acquire and maintain the F-35 fleet. The Auditor General’s cost estimate of approximately $27 billion, was only to acquire these jets. As procurement experts know, these costs only represent about 30% of the full life cycle costs of the plane. As such, we are looking at a fully costed program of $90 billion dollars, not $27 billion . Furthermore, the cost per flying hour for the F-35 is about $35K (U.S.), approximately double that of the Rafale and five times more expensive than the Gripen E. Detailed analysis will have to be conducted to determine whether or not these huge cost savings can compensate for any increased infrastructure costs and the increased costs to operate two separate supply chains and two separate pilot training programs. Unless the authors have conducted this cost analysis, there is no basis for them to assert that “Tens of billions of public money could be wasted if Canada chooses a mixed fleet”.
With regards to the operational impact, proper analysis will determine whether a mixed fleet can meet all of Canada’s operational requirements and identify any impact a mixed fleet would have on the timelines for delivery of the jets. In addition, any impact on Canada’s role in NORAD would need to be carefully considered.
Lastly, I hope the Government will respect Canadians by making this report public.
