Panel mum on best choice for fighter jet
OTTAWA — An independent panel examining the purchase of a new fighter jet has placed the choice of plane firmly in the hands of the Conservative government.
The panel’s report does not recommend which plane would best meet Canada’s needs. Instead, it outlines risks and costs associated with each aircraft, said Keith Coulter, a former fighter pilot and member of a four-person panel overseeing the process.
Coulter was joined Thursday at a news conference, held to outline the results of the review process, by members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the federal Department of Public Works and other government officials.
Deputy ministers are expected to provide advice on which plane to select, with cabinet then making the final decision. There is no timetable for that decision.
The choice focuses on whether to buy the F-35 stealth fighter, or to conduct a competition between that fighter and three other jets. In addition to the F-35, the review looked at the Boeing Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale.
The panel’s examination, which looked at cost, longterm maintenance, the risks of each plane and the need for upgrades over time, will give ministers enough information to make their choice, Coulter said.
At the news conference, panel members declined to provide their personal views on which aircraft best suits Canada’s needs.
But both bureaucrats and the panel defended the selection process amid concerns it is rigged to favour the F-35.
Opposition MPs have suggested the current process is designed to favour the F-35 and are calling for an open competition.
The RCAF, whose previous analysis selected the F-35, oversaw this latest examination. Canada’s air force, and the Defence Department, have long favoured the F-35, having selected it in 2006 as the only fighter they feel can meet Canada’s needs.
In April 2012, auditor general Michael Ferguson slammed the plan to buy 65 F-35 jets, accusing both Public Works and Defence of lowballing the cost and not doing their homework.
The government launched a review of the proposed fighter jet purchase. In December 2012, an independent auditor put the full cost of the F-35s at $44.8 billion.