OTTAWA, Canada — Canada plans to order 18 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets while seeking offers to update the rest of its aging combat fleet, Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Tuesday. Sajjan said Canada will remain a partner in the development program of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter jet, even as it looks for a replacement for its aging CF-18s. Canada had ordered 65 F-35 stealth fighters in 2010, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scrapped the deal because of sky-rocketing costs. ADVERTISEMENTThe 18 Super Hornet fighter jets will be deployed from 2018 as the government awaits offers on a longer-term fleet replacement, Sajjan said. Canada’s current fleet of fighter jets is more than three decades old and is down from 138 aircraft to 77.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 23, 2016 05:45 UTC