OTTAWA—Industry sources say the Trudeau government is preparing to push back the expected delivery date of a new fighter jet to replace Canada’s aging CF-18 fleet.sThe sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, would not speculate on why the delivery schedule was being changed. News of the expected delay comes as the government is moving ahead on the purchase of used fighter jets from Australia instead of brand-new Super Hornets from Boeing to temporarily bolster Canada’s CF-18 fleet. The Liberals had planned to buy 18 Super Hornets, at an estimated cost of $6 billion, until Boeing launched a trade dispute against Canadian rival Bombardier. But the used jets are 30 years old — the same vintage as the CF-18s — and will need significant upgrades to continue flying into the next decade. The government is also wrestling with how best to sell Canadians on the idea of buying used fighter jets after the disaster that followed the purchase of second-hand British submarines in the 1990s.

Source: thestar December 06, 2017 19:07 UTC