Canada’s military is at a crossroads. Due to budget shortfalls, its surface fleet and submarines are in dire need of upgrades. The Army is too small to do much other than home defense, and the Air Force is flying CF-18 Hornets that should be retired.
For the past 15 years, the government’s lawmakers have been arguing over one weapons program: the F-35 Lightning II. They first chose the F-35 in 2010, only to have Justin Trudeau run for Prime Minister on the platform of dumping the F-35. He was elected, and they set in motion another competition that was narrowed down to the F-35 and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen.
On January 9, 2023, Canada announced for the second time that it had selected the F-35, and the purchase was for 88 aircraft.
In 2025, the Canadian government is again pumping the brakes on its decision to purchase the F-35, considering buying the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen instead of the F-35. Saab, the manufacturer of the Gripen, has promised to build factories in Canada for spare parts and possibly an aircraft manufacturing plant to produce the Gripen, bringing jobs and industry to the country.
However, Canada has already invested in buying at least 16 F-35s, which it has already paid for. If it decides to cut the remaining 72 aircraft on the contract, what will it do with only 16 F-35s?
The F-35 Question Is Hurting Canadian Defenses
The F-35 program was developed with the idea that it would require the US’s top foreign ally nations to join to reduce the overall costs because the US missed the boat with the F-22, including Canada, which was the first to sign on. Currently, there are over 1,200 F-35s in service worldwide, more than 500 of which are allied aircraft.
Canada’s contribution was $160 million, which allowed Canadian firms to bid for and acquire contracts for parts and components. Between 1997 and 2021, these contracts generated $1.3 billion.
Canada once again chose to buy 88 F-35s, even after 2015, when Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government canceled the purchase by reopening a search for a fighter jet to replace the RCAF’s obsolescent CF-18s. The F-35, however, remained among the possible choices, and the Trudeau government belatedly reversed course again in 2022, saying it would purchase 88 for $19 billion. The reason (for the second time) was that it was the best plane for Canada. And not the JAS-39 Gripen.
The Royal Canadian Air Force is expected to have a squadron in operation in 2029 and all the aircraft in hand by 2032. The first 16 F-35s, already paid for, are scheduled to arrive in 2026. Canadian pilots will be trained in the US and, upon completion, fly their new aircraft back to Canada.
Here We Go Again, “Back To The Future”
Fast forward ten years, and to quote Yogi Berra, “It was deja vu all over again.” New Prime Minister Mark Carney, in one of his first official acts, was to direct Defence Minister Bill Blair to consider canceling a substantial part of Canada’s order of F-35 fighter jets from the United States.
“We have alternatives to the F-35, so we will explore those, as the ministers of defense and procurement will explore how the F-35 program could be adjusted, including greater investment here in Canada, greater production here in Canada,” Carney said at a press conference.
“The prime minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada,” Blair said.
Sovereignty or Trump?
The reason behind Carney’s decision is not that the F-35 suddenly doesn’t meet requirements or that new technology has emerged. Canada’s reason is that Donald Trump is back in the White House, and he has them PO’ed.
Canada, like the UK across the pond, is worried that it is too dependent on the US for its security, as it has been for more than 80 years. It is using some of Trump’s more bombastic statements about tariffs and the “51st state” to wave the sovereignty flag.
It is a bad time to flip-flop on buying the F-35 because they’re worried about their national sovereignty. Canada has been operating American aircraft for years. Not to mention the cooperation between the countries with NATO and NORAD for decades. So, the F-35 and its parts manufacturing business, which supports NATO and the US, is a threat to national sovereignty? But the Gripen is not? That’s the silliness of it all. So, Canadian politicians are willing to sacrifice their national defense and integration with other NATO partners for a lesser product. And don’t forget that the Gripen’s engine and missiles are made in the United States.
Canadian and British politicians worry about the mythical American “kill switch,” forgetting that it would still exist, as the Gripen’s engines, spare parts, and missiles would still be at the whim of the Americans to the south. What does this solve? Nothing.
Canada Must Answer, “What Does It Want Its Armed Forces to Be?”
Canada currently doesn’t have answers to the most basic of questions. What does it even want its armed forces to be? The continued seesaw over the F-35 shows that Canada has no strategy, which isn’t due to Trump.
The US-Canadian partnership in NORAD, the US Air Force’s F-22s and F-35s based in Alaska, and the projected RCAF F-35s are intended to provide North America’s air defenses against Russia and China. The F-35 can seamlessly interact with NORAD’s systems — a capacity no other fighter is likely to have.
One thing that politicians keep harping on is that Canada doesn’t need a stealth aircraft for its defense. I would argue that, as it is a very good reason for buying one. However, they are forgetting that the stealth features of the F-35 are hardly the sole selling point of the aircraft.
The F-35 is much more than a fighter; it’s an intelligence-gathering, stealth-enabled, data-fusing node designed to operate as part of a larger, digitally integrated force. Canada needs that for the Arctic, NORAD, and coalition operations.
The Gripen is an outstanding aircraft. Many aviation analysts believe it is the best fighter, not the F-22 or F-35. But there it is. The Gripen is a 4th-generation aircraft. And it isn’t stealthy.
The F-35 Has “Loyal Wingman” Capability
Lockheed Martin says the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter now has a firmly demonstrated ability to act as an in-flight ‘quarterback’ for advanced drones like the US Air Force’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) with the help of artificial intelligence-enabled systems.
The company’s testing has also shown that a touchscreen tablet-like device is a workable interface for controlling multiple uncrewed aircraft simultaneously from the cockpit of the F-35 and the F-22 Raptor. For the US Air Force, how pilots in crewed aircraft will manage CCAs during operations has emerged as an increasingly important question. No longer.
Lockheed Martin issued a press release in January touting its new capability.
The F-35 “has the capability to control drones, including the US Air Force’s future fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Recently, Lockheed Martin and industry partners demonstrated end-to-end connectivity including the seamless integration of AI technologies to control a drone in flight utilizing the same hardware and software architectures built for future F-35 flight testing,” the release states.
A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II taxis during a cross-servicing event at NATO Allied Air Command’s Ramstein Flag 2025 exercise April 4, 2025. Successful cross-servicing at RAFL25 is an example of the importance of integrated logistics and maintenance training that enhances U.S. warfighting readiness by strengthening United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa’s ability to deploy, sustain, and project fifth-generation capabilities across the European theater. (Royal Netherlands photo by Sgt. Maj. Jan Dijkstra)
“These AI-enabled architectures allow Lockheed Martin to not only prove out piloted-drone teaming capabilities, but also incrementally improve them, bringing the US Air Force’s family of systems vision to life.
“Lockheed Martin has demonstrated its piloted-drone teaming interface, which can control multiple drones from the cockpit of an F-35 or F-22,” the release adds. “This technology allows a pilot to direct multiple drones to engage enemies using a touchscreen tablet in the cockpit of their 5th Gen aircraft.”
Operating Two Models of Aircraft Is Expensive
Killing the F-35 contract then opens up the question: What do they do with just 16 F-35s and 72 European aircraft like the JAS 39? Maintaining two distinct planes will be costly in terms of maintenance and spare parts, not to mention that the training of aircrews will need to be addressed. Canada has traditionally shied away from such a prospect, but what about now?
Is Canada’s national security worth spiting Trump? No, it isn’t for Canada, the United States, and NATO, despite how good it may feel for a minute. Put this to rest and do what’s best for everyone, most importantly for Canada.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
