Liberals to buy Super Hornets as a stop-gap

Move could end up costing more, critics say

Canada intends to purchase 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets and, while the Liberal government says it has a rough idea what that might cost, it stopped short of claiming its plan will save money in the long run.

The Liberals had promised during the election campaign to purchase a replacement aircraft for the CF-18 jet fleet, pointing out that it would go for a cheaper alternative to the controversial F-35 stealth fighter selected by the Conservative government.

But Tuesday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced the Liberals would proceed with the purchase of 18 Super Hornets, in addition to holding a competition for the replacement of the CF-18 fleet later. The government noted that the F-35 could be selected as the winner for that competition if the price is right.

This new process could wind up costing taxpayers even more, say industry representatives.

Sajjan avoided the question of whether this new approach would be cheaper in the long run.

“Once we enter into discussions, then we will get all the costs necessary and, until then, we want to make sure we go through the right process to be able to get the right costing for it,” he added.

Procurement Minister Judy Foote said the government has a rough idea of how much the Super Hornets will cost but declined to release that number.

The government has told Boeing it is interested in buying the jets and will now enter negotiations with the company and the U.S. government.

But the former head of procurement for the Department of National Defence says such a strategy doesn’t make sense.

“You don’t tell a company you intend on buying their product and then try to negotiate a price,” said Alan Williams, the former assistant deputy minister for materiel. “You lose any negotiating power you might have had.”

Others industry representatives point out the purchase of the Super Hornets might not be as cost-effective as the government thinks.

Kuwait is proceeding with a deal for 40 Super Hornets for $10 billion US, or around $13 billion Canadian. The deal includes weapons, spare parts and other support.

Williams said the Liberals wasted a year during which they could have started a competition, eliminating the need to buy what the government calls an “interim” purchase of Super Hornets.

The Liberals have also indicated the modernization of the existing CF-18 jets will also have to proceed. The price tag on that is estimated at up to $500 million, depending on what the government decides needs to be done to keep those planes flying.

Sajjan blamed the previous Conservative government for mismanaging the fighter-jet replacement and creating what he calls a capability gap. He said the Conservatives should have bought new fighter jets years ago to replace the CF18s. “Because they were not replaced, we now have a capability gap,” Sajjan said.

“We need to move on this as quickly as possible,” added Sajjan. “A modern fighter fleet is an essential tool for defending Canada and exercising Canadian sovereignty — especially in the northern skies.”

The Super Hornets will be used to augment the existing CF-18 fleet. A new competition for replacement jets will be held after the Liberals’ defence policy review is completed, Foote said. But those new jets are not expected until the late 2020s.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, with advice from Sajjan, has been pushing the Super Hornet option, despite opposition from some leaders in the Royal Canadian Air Force, sources add.

Sajjan has repeatedly stated there is a need to immediately replace the CF-18s, but his comments have been undercut by air force officers who point out the aircraft can keep flying until at least 2025 if they are modernized.