Canada and U.S.-based company Lockheed Martin finished negotiations for 88 F-35A Lightning II. The country announced the selection decision for new fighter jets in March 2022. It is known that the Royal Canadian Air Force is looking for early delivery of one squadron-sized aircraft batch ahead of the planned schedule to replace the ageing CF-18. An official announcement is expected for January 2023, but according to local sources, the first steps have been taken for the first batch of 16 F-35A fighters. The rest of the aircraft will be ordered in several batches, and the number will be completed to 88. Deliveries are planned between 2026 and 2032.
It is known that the Royal Canadian Air Force is having issues sustaining the CF-18 fleet. Canadian Press reported that Canada would not be able to send CF-18 to Romania under NATO mission next year because of capability absence. How the F-35 will be named under the Canadian flag is still being determined.
