“The government asked us to look at options, but in particular Super Hornets,” Rochette said. What little was written about interim fighter jets did not include a dollar figure. That decision is expected to hinge on the results later this month of a trade dispute between U.S. aerospace firm Boeing, which makes the Super Hornets, and Canadian rival Bombardier. An adverse finding could result in fines or tariffs being imposed on Bombardier, but could also prompt the Liberals, which have criticized the investigation, to walk away from interim Super Hornets. Many defence experts, including 13 retired air force commanders, have criticized the plan to purchase interim Super Hornets and called for an immediate competition to replace the CF-18s.

Source: National Post August 31, 2017 19:07 UTC