(Ottawa) Purchasing and maintaining the 88 F-35 fighter jets Canada plans to acquire will cost around $74 billion over 45 years, according to a study released Thursday by Parliamentary Budget Officer (PDB) Yves Giroux cost .
Published at 11:02 am.
In this study, the PBO considers acquisition costs (19.8 billion) and operation and maintenance costs (53.8 billion) to arrive at this estimate.
The Trudeau government announced in March 2022 that it planned to purchase the F-35 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. In principle, the first aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin are scheduled to be delivered from 2025. The last aircraft from the order of 88 aircraft are expected in 2032.
“The estimated costs are based on an assumed lifespan of 30 years for each aircraft and an annual quota of approximately 167 flight hours for each aircraft, which under operating conditions corresponds to an annual quota of approximately 14,700 flight hours. Permanent for the fleet of 88 aircraft,” emphasizes the DPB in its analysis.
Mr. Giroux adds to the costs of his analysis 200 million for the costs related to the development phase and the same amount for the costs related to the dismantling phase of the devices, which should begin between 2055 and 2056, that is, at the end of the useful life of the first of Aircraft procured by Ministry of Defense.
During the 2015 federal election, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals pledged never to buy the F-35 aircraft that Stephen Harper’s government had targeted and to launch a new tender. At the time, Canada planned to purchase 65 stealth aircraft.
But last year, following a competitive bidding process, the Trudeau government finally changed course when it became clear that the F-35 aircraft were the best option to replace the CF-18 fleet. An agreement was reached earlier this year between the Canadian and American governments and suppliers Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney.