Fighter jets

Project summary

Canada requires a military that is flexible, agile, and capable of responding to a variety of unforeseen situations. A modern fighter jet fleet is essential for defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty – especially in our northern skies. The current CF-18 fighter fleet is now more than 30 years old and is down from 138 aircraft to 76.

The Government of Canada is dedicated to replacing this aging fleet of CF-18 fighter aircraft. In order to do so, it is undertaking two separate projects.

One project, the Future Fighter Capability Project, will select permanent replacements for our current CF-18 fighter fleet through an open and transparent competition. Concurrently, the Government of Canada will supplement the current CF-18 fleet until the permanent replacement fleet is fully operational.

These projects are being led by two separate teams to address the requirements of each project independently.