Auditor general to issue new fighter jet report in the fall

The report forced the government to suspend the project pending a complete review, which eventually pegged the full cost of buying and operating the F-35s at more than $45 billion.

Six years later, Canada still has not chosen a new fighter jet to replace its aging CF-18s.

It is unlikely the auditor general will find the kind of serious problems with the government’s efforts to buy fighter jets as the last time, as the overall procurement system has been revamped with a variety of checks and balances.

The new review could instead turn on the government’s plan to buy interim fighter jets and its arguably slow progress in holding a competition to replace the CF-18s, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“How much benefit and at what cost will Canada obtain fighter aircraft by virtue of going through an interim fighter purchase as well as doing a life extension?” Perry said.

“For me, one of the biggest concerns is that the process from this point forward is not exactly lightning quick.”

The Liberals announced in November that they plan to buy used fighter jets from Australia — rather than new Super Hornets from Boeing — as a stop-gap until the entire CF-18 fleet can be replaced.

The new planes were originally expected by 2025, but documents provided to industry last week show the new target is 2031, as the government plans to take its time with a competition.

The delay is almost certain to mean another round of expensive and complicated life extensions to the CF-18s, which will be 50 years old by the time the last are retired.

Previous reports have determined that any life extensions to the CF-18s beyond 2025 would be “a high-risk option in terms of cost, schedule and technical factors.”

Many defence analysts and retired military officials have questioned the need for interim fighters and urged an immediate competition, rather than waiting several years.

— Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Auditor general to issue new fighter jet report in the fall

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