Article Summary – Ottawa’s long-delayed plan to buy 88 F-35s is back in play as Prime Minister Mark Carney weighs walking away from the deal amid soaring cost estimates and political friction with Washington.
-Sweden has mounted a full-court press for its Gripen fighter, dangling local production and jobs, while Canadian industry warns that canceling the F-35 would sacrifice lucrative work on every jet built worldwide.
Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, with the F-35 Demonstration Team, approach a U.S. Air Force KC-135 for in-flight refueling en route to their next airshow at Pensacola, Florida, on 28 October, 2024. The F-35 Demo Team travels to various bases to showcase the capabilities of the most advanced 5th generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
-Retired commanders and U.S. officials insist a mixed fleet would be a wartime liability and a diplomatic own goal. Canada’s choice now sits at the intersection of alliance politics, budgets, and industrial strategy.
Canada Has a Big F-35 Fighter Choice to Make Soon
The Canadian government has dragged its feet for most of 2025 in deciding whether to buy a full complement of F-35 stealth fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin.
Under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada in 2022 agreed to purchase 88 F-35’s to replace the country’s fleet of CF-18 Hornets.
New Prime Minister Mark Carney broached a reconsideration of the deal while he was on the campaign trail. After Canada’s election earlier this year, Canada’s then-Defense Minister, Bill Blair, told CBC that Canada was looking at alternatives to the F-35 buy. A scathing government report in June, meanwhile, found that the cost of the jet program had swollen from the original press tag of $19 million to $27.7 billion.
A formal military review was put in place to examine the decision, with the ultimate decision resting with Carney. All of this is happening against the backdrop of the worst tensions between the U.S. and Canada in decades.
So, where do things stand now?
The King and the Letter
Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf recently visited Canada, as part of a larger government delegation, amid speculation that Ottawa could choose Swedish Gripen E/F fighters instead of purchasing the full complement of F-35s.
Canada and Sweden agreed to a “strategic partnership” agreement. The statement announcing that arrangement did not mention jets.
“We are like-minded Arctic nations with shared interests in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region, and who recognise the vital contributions and rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic in keeping with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and international law,” the statement read. “Canada and Sweden affirm our strong commitment to democracy and multilateralism, and to upholding human rights, including gender equality, the rule of law and the rules-based international order and trade system.”
According to Breaking Defense, Sweden has made a “royal push” on the benefits of the Gripen jets.
“We are looking for increased production,” Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson said during the king’s visit. “To produce 100 to 150 additional Gripen fighters on top of what we’re doing right now in Sweden—and with Brazil, Colombia, and others already in the queue—might be challenging to do it all in Sweden. That’s why I am talking about partnership.”
Meanwhile, according to the CBC, Saab CEO Micael Johansson says Canada’s air force could have Gripen jets within three years, and the company would build both a manufacturing facility and a “full-fledged manufacturing center and a research and development hub.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Melanie “MACH” Kluesner, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies an aerial demonstration certification flight at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Feb. 22, 2024. Upon the 388th Fighter Wing commander certification, the F-35 Demo Team pilot is required to complete the Air Combat Command Heritage Flight Training Course. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish)
But the deal to build the jets, says the executive, “would be predicated on Canada deciding to purchase the fighter.”
According to the CBC report, the 16 F-35s that have already been purchased will arrive at a U.S. Air Force base late next year before they land in Canada in 2028.
A Pro-F-35 Letter
Newsweek, citing Radio Canada, reported that a group of former Canadian military officers has written a letter urging the Canadian government not to make the switch.
“The letter has not been made public, but Radio-Canada said it had been signed by former chief of staff of the Canadian armed forces Tom Lawson,” Newsweek reported. “Lawson would not confirm this, but he did tell the Canadian broadcaster that the F-35 was superior to the Gripen and that having a hybrid fleet with two different sets of infrastructure would be ‘close to useless’ during wartime.”
Several experts have weighed in on different sides of the debate.
“The F-35 is so far beyond anything that the Gripen can provide that anything you’d be saving in terms of money by going to a second fleet would be lost,” Lawson said.
“Nobody is saying the F-35 is a bad plane. … The government has to make decisions around how it’s balancing what it sees as our defense requirements and industrial requirements and how to build partnerships,” Canadian defense policy expert Philippe Lagassé told the CBC.
Meanwhile, in a Toronto Sun op-ed published earlier this week, columnist Brian Lilley chided Carney for even considering a change in the fighter jet order.
“Mark Carney can’t help himself when it comes to taking shots across the bow of the Americans,” the columnist wrote. “The problem is every time he does it, he’s putting Canadian jobs in harm’s way and making the possibility of a deal on tariffs with Washington less likely.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Melanie “Mach” Kluesner, pilot of the F-35A Demonstration Team, performs aerial maneuvers at the Sun ‘n Fun Airshow in Lakeland, Florida, April 4, 2025. The demonstration team showcases the skill and precision U.S. Air Force pilots and aircraft are capable of. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
He also argued that getting the F-35s would help Canadian companies.
“There are more than 30 Canadian companies supplying parts for the F-35 project. As part of the F-35 program, Canadian companies are able to supply parts and benefit from every single F-35 built and not just the ones built for Canada,” Lilley said. Those are jobs that would “disappear” in the event of the government cancelling the contract.
The View From the U.S.
According to BNN Bloomberg, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra this week called the F-35s a “phenomenal success.”
“It’s not an American plane. It’s an international plane,” Hoekstra said of the F-35 fighter jet, noting that Canada has been part of the F-35 consortium all along.
“You’ve got companies in Canada that are learning and developing—and probably contributed to—the development of (F-35) technology that you can use on future products and future efforts,” he added. Hoekstra has been vocal in the past about not wanting Canada to split its fleet.
JAS 39 Gripen. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Per the Toronto Star, Hoekstra said this week that the future of trade talks between the two countries would depend on Canada agreeing to purchase the F-35 fighter jets.
“Well, on a number of these issues, we are, we’re actually waiting to see exactly where the Canadian government is going to come out on this,” the ambassador said in the interview.
Where Things Stand Now
There has yet to be an announcement on the Carney government’s intent. Defense Minister David McGuinty said in an interview this week, reported by Bloomberg, that “the government is open to purchasing jets from several companies.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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