Stealth status murky in F-35 restart
Opposition urges critical evaluation
The Harper government’s promise to restart its plan to replace Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets has come under the microscope as opposition parties and analysts say the field remains heavily slanted in favour of the F-35.
At issue is the “reset” promised by the government Wednesday is being led by many of the same people who originally recommended solesourcing the stealth fighter.
It’s also unclear whether stealth will continue to trump all other requirements for Canada’s next military jet, which is how the F-35 was chosen in the first place.
The government promised to restart the F-35 procurement process Wednesday after National Defence put the full cost of Canada buying and operating 65 of the stealth fighters until 2052 at more than $45 billion.
This came after years of criticism over what has been seen as the Harper government’s refusal to fully disclose how much the F-35s will cost, and after the auditor general raised serious concerns about the Defence Department’s handling of the file.
Bureaucrats have been ordered back to the drawing board to again examine what missions Canada’s jets will perform in the future, what threats they will face, and what fighter capabilities are currently available.
The Royal Canadian Air Force will lead the review with support from other federal departments, while a panel of independent experts has been tasked with monitoring the process to ensure it is rigorous and impartial.
While no timelines have been laid out, a final report will be produced to guide government as it contemplates the next step in replacing the CF-18s.
The government has said its new review will not be bound by the previous requirements that ultimately saw National Defence identify the F-35 as the only jet capable of meeting all of Canada’s needs.
But even as it has promised to back off its plans to solesource the F-35, the Harper government has continued to defend its original decision and stood by the stealth fighter.
It says it can still buy 65 of the stealth fighters for $9 billion, and it claims the cost of operating the aircraft isn’t far off its original estimate of $1 billion per year for 42 years, though that includes 12 years of development and acquisition during which the cost to taxpayers is minimal.
Meanwhile, senior bureaucrats briefing reporters on the new review earlier this week also refused to say whether stealth would continue to be the primary requirement.
It was those “mandatory” stealth capabilities that ultimately led the government to agree to sole-source the F-35 project on the basis that no other aircraft could match the requirements.
Former National Defence procurement chief Alan Williams said Thursday that as long as stealth is the top concern for Canada’s next fighter, the restart is nothing but show.
He said what is needed is an open and transparent assessment of Canada’s military needs and requirements that will eventually feed into an open bidding process in which stealth is one of many factors.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said the fact National Defence is leading the new review — after refusing to waver on the F-35 and the need for stealth in the face of mounting criticism — is a matter for concern.
“I don’t think they are the best people to make this decision because they’re the ones who got us into this mess in the first place,” Rae said.
“I think there has to be a greater degree of critical evaluation of what is the thinking that went into this original decision.”
A senior Defence official told Postmedia News last week that in terms of process, the review isn’t significantly different from what took place in 2006 and 2008, when the department recommended the F-35 over its competitors.
The main difference is that officials are now keeping strenuous records after being taken to task by the auditor general in April for failing to properly document the process that ultimately led to the F-35 recommendation.
The official did not say how much new information is being included in the new review, or whether stealth will remain a “mandatory” requirement.
Royal Military College of Canada professor Christian Leuprecht said there are legitimate concerns about having the same people who initially chose the F-35 again leading the process.
But he didn’t believe the result was a foregone conclusion as numerous factors have changed since the decision to sole-source the F-35 was originally made, including the country’s economic situation and the political fallout the Conservatives have faced.
“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion,” he said. “While the people might be the same, the conditions have changed. And I think the prime minister is determined to make sure this doesn’t become an issue in the next election.”