Genuine trade war recently erupted between Canada and U.S. with additional tariffs and threat exchanges. However despite all these disagreements, first F-35 fighter for Canadian Air Force took to sky.
Lockheed Martin reported this and published photo of aircraft, which received CF-35A Lightning II designation. It together with 7 more aircraft will remain at Luke Air Force Base in U.S. for conducting personnel training.
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Defense Express notes there is actually nothing surprising here, as Canadians made decision to purchase F-35 before relations with U.S. began collapsing. Since 2002 they have been participants in aircraft development program as Level 3 partner together with Denmark, Norway and Australia.
In 2022 Canada placed full firm order for 16 American fifth-generation fighters, while overall plan was to purchase 88 aircraft. Delivery was to continue through 2032, but everything turned out not as desired.
With White House administration change, threats from U.S. side began sounding toward Canadians, which forced reconsideration of purchasing another 72 F-35s. However reports already appeared that Canada began financing further orders to preserve its place in queue.
Currently information exists about possible creation of mixed fleet with Swedish Gripen E, which will be localized and potentially produced for Ukraine as well, but final decision does not yet exist. And although many speak about abandoning American aircraft entirely, this is actually quite unlikely decision.
16 aircraft are already ordered, so nobody will throw them away. At same time, F-35 repeatedly beat Gripen and other Western 4.5-generation fighters in tenders, offering better capabilities. Therefore abandoning fifth generation, especially when alternatives do not yet exist, is quite unlikely.
Overall, fate of additional Canadian F-35s remains uncertain. However Canada already actively works on joining GCAP sixth-generation fighter creation program, worked on by Britain, Italy and Japan.
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