Canada invests in CF-18 Hornet fighter sustainment
Canada has announced has awarded a CA$211.6 million (US$157.3 million) sustainment contract to Arcfield Canada to support the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) CF-18 fighter jet fleet. The agreement was intended to maintain the fighter’s operational readiness until the country’s ordered F-35s were delivered.
Arcfield Canada will continue to support the CF-18 fleet’s Avionics weapons systems, supply parts as needed and provide end-to-end supply chain services. The contract will also ensure that avionics spare parts will be made available to CF-18 technicians.
The RCAF currently operates nearly 138 CF-18 fighters (Canada’s designation of the F/A-18). The fleet has already received a service life extension through the Hornet Extension Program. The newly awarded contract was for an initial five-year period and five subsequent one-year options.
Related Articles
UPDATED: Lockheed Martin clinches Canadian fighter replacement win
Canada buys weaponised MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones
Canada looks to both NATO and the US for next generation helicopter beyond 2035
The in-service support contract for CF-18 Avionics will come into effect on 1 April this year. If all options are exercised, it will last until the end of March 2034, allowing for potential delays in the F-35 programme.
The sustainment initiative may have stemmed from a report commissioned by Canada’s Department of National Defence last autumn. The scathing study, conducted by the UK think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), found that the RCAF’s CF-18 fighter force was facing a “crisis”.
According to the report, the fighter force experienced low morale, significant departure rates among instructor pilots and a shortage of maintenance technicians, all of which hindered its capacity to fulfil NATO obligations. The situation could potentially endanger the RCAF’s transition to the newly acquired fighters as well, the report stated.
After more than a decade-long hunt, Canada finalised its contract to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter aircraft in January 2023. The decision came five years after the country first launched its competition to replace the ageing CF-18 Hornet fleet. Competing against the F-35 was Sweden’s Saab with the Gripen fighter.
As part of the deal, worth C$19 billion (US$15.1 billion) for the procurement, Canada will acquire 88 new jets, as well as sustainment set-up and services for the systems.
More from Air Warfare
-
Anduril and GA-ASI propel forward in US Air Force CCA programme’s next phase
Anduril and GA-ASI have raced ahead in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiative, securing contracts with the US Air Force to build production representative flight test platforms.
-
Another Saab GlobalEye lands in the UAE
The arrival of the latest GlobalEye marked the fourth AEW&C aircraft delivery to the UAE in just four years.
-
Greece and Israel cosy up over Rafael’s Spyder air defence system
Ongoing discussions between Greece and Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael to acquire Spyder air defence systems underscored the resilience of international business ties despite geopolitical tensions.