Aircraft
Canada Cleared for Upgrade of 36 Boeing CF-18 Fighters
The Royal Canadian Air Force is upgrading nearly half of its Hornet fleet while it waits for a new fighter.
The RCAF’s Hornet fleet has commitments to both NATO and NORAD. Here CF-18s fly over Iceland during a NATO Operation Reassurance air surveillance mission in 2017. (Photo: Canadian Department of Defence)
The RCAF’s Hornet fleet has commitments to both NATO and NORAD. Here CF-18s fly over Iceland during a NATO Operation Reassurance air surveillance mission in 2017. (Photo: Canadian Department of Defence)

A potential Foreign Military Sales deal to Canada of an upgrade package for 36 Boeing CF-18 fighters has been approved by the U.S. State Department. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is due to induct a new fighter type between 2025 and 2035, and its current Hornet fleet has been deemed unable to adequately meet Canada’s NATO and NORAD commitments until then without significant investment.


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