Two CF-18 fighter jets complete a fly past during the Battle of Britain ceremony at the Canadian Space and Aviation Museum Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. (DARREN BROWN/QMI AGENCY)
OTTAWA - The call is out for five American and European fighter jet manufacturers to polish up their sales pitches and give the Canadian government a ring.
Following the mid-December update of F-35 cost estimates and re-setting of the process to replace the old CF-18 fleet, Public Works Department officials have written to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, EADS Eurofighter and Saab Group to say that the government will soon ask them what they could offer as the new mainstay for Canada's air force.
"A key component of this undertaking is a market analysis of fighter aircraft currently in production or scheduled to be in production," said Deputy Minister Michelle d'Auray in the letter sent with little fanfare on Dec. 27. "Your company's participation in this endeavour will greatly assist the Government of Canada in its assessment of options for a fighter replacement capability well into the 21st Century."
