The choice story of two fighter jets

Canada's decision to renew its aging CF-18 fighter fleet has turned into a $19 billion fight between Lockheed Martin, the US manufacturer of F-35 aircraft, and Saab, the Swedish manufacturer of Gripen-E aircraft.

The CF-18 Hornet aircraft were specially produced for Canada by Mc Donnell Douglas of the USA. The original name of the CF-18 Hornet aircraft is the F/A-18 Hornet. Of the CF-18 aircraft that joined the Canadian Air Force in 1982, 60 single-seat CF-18A and 25 CF-18B aircraft are still actively used in the army.

After Boeing's plane was eliminated in the fighter jet tender opened by the liberal government in Canada, only the F-35 plane and the Gripen-E plane remained. The F-35 aircraft is described as the fifth generation, while the Gripen-E aircraft is described as the fourth and a half generation. Which aircraft Canada chooses may also affect its choices in defense partnerships.

Canada has been using only US-made warplanes since the late fifties. Canada and the United States are part of the North American Air Defense Command NORAD and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO. In fact, the emergence of the name Gripen is related to Canada's desire to step out from under the US shadow in the field of defense. Some experts state that the selection of the F-35 aircraft will increase the level of military cooperation between Canada and the USA, while the selection of the Gripen aircraft will not be welcomed by the USA, with the concern that a foreign aircraft will create a system security problem within NORAD.

In fact, SAAB offers Canada a very different opportunity with its Gripen-E offer. If Canada chooses the Gripen aircraft, the Gripen aircraft will be produced at the IMP Aerospace and Defense facilities in Nova Scotia, Canada. Moreover, all intellectual rights regarding the sustainability and operation of SAAB Gripen-E aircraft will belong to the Canadian government. This means that Canada will have sovereign rights over its new fleet of jet aircraft.

In other words, Canada will be able to make all kinds of changes on the plane it will buy without the permission of Swedish Saab and use the planes for any purpose. The Gripen-E model offered by Saab to Canada is the most modern and advanced model of this aircraft. Canada is expected to announce which aircraft it has chosen later this year.

Reference: CBC