CanadaLiberals to 'explore acquisition' of 18 interim Super Hornet fighter jets

Lee Berthiaume, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nov 22, 2016, Last Updated: 8:41 PM ET

OTTAWA The federal Liberal government says it will explore the acquisition of 18 new Boeing-made Super Hornet jets on an interim basis until it can decide on a permanent replacement for Canadas aging fleet of fighter planes.

The government plans to meet with the U.S. and Boeing to purchase the 18 planes at a cost, time, level of capability and economic value that is acceptable to Canada in order to fill a capability gap in the countrys air defences.

The decision marks what will surely be another controversial turning point in the long, protracted effort to replace the air forces workhorse CF-18s, which Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says are long past due for replacement.

The government will launch, in its current mandate, a wide-open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18 fleet, Sajjan told a news conference Tuesday.

In addition, …