F-35 stealth fighters make Canadian debut at Abbotsford Air Show
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The new-age fighter jet once poised to replace Canada’s aging CF-18 fleet, but whose ballooning price tag and controversial selection process threw its purchase into doubt, has made its inaugural visit to Canada.
A pair of F-35 stealth fighters roared into British Columbia on Thursday in preparation for the annual Abbotsford International Airshow.
The next-generation aircraft, whose development has been marred with delays and cost overruns, has been the source of ongoing angst in Ottawa as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government grapples with finding a replacement for the country’s long-outdated fighter jets.
Trudeau told the House of Commons in June that the F-35 “does not work and is far from working,” two months before a surprise announcement last week that the aircraft is ready for combat.