Canada has threatened to cancel plans to buy 18 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters from Boeing, in an escalating political war over its trade relationship with the U.S. Responding to a complaint by Boeing that the Canadian and Quebec governments have heavily subsidized a sale by Bombardier of 75 C Series airliners to Delta Air Lines, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said that “Canada is reviewing current military procurement that relates to Boeing.” Boeing’s complaint has been taken up by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which has initiated anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of Canadian large civil aircraft.
The new Canadian government decided last November to acquire the Super Hornets as a partial replacement for some of its 77-strong F-18C/D Hornet fleet (designated CF-188 in Canada). The decision was controversial, since Canada thus became the first international partner in the Lockheed Martin F-35 program to opt for an alternative. The government said it would make a final decision on whether to buy any F-35s, or hold a full competition for the CF-188 replacement, during a defense policy review that it will conduct this year. Ottowa previously stated a requirement for 65 of the stealth fighters.
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