Canada’s second thoughts on F-35 Lightning show concerns about plane’s high cost

[unhappycamper]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/canadas-second-thoughts-on-f-35-lightning-show-concerns-about-planes-high-cost/2014/08/18/3349a1ba-1e37-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.html



Canada’s second thoughts on F-35 Lightning show concerns about plane’s high cost
By Christian Davenport
August 18

O, Canada, land of “peace, order and good government.” Land of compromise and polite politics. Land of turmoil over whether to buy the F-35.

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From the beginning of the program, Defense Department officials signed up eight international partners, including Canada. Since then, they’ve crossed the globe looking for additional foreign government customers with some success. Japan and Israel have agreed to buy some of the planes, while South Korea appears likely to make the F-35 its next fighter jet as well.

~snip~

Many thought that by now Canada would have decided whether to buy the planes — a move that would help drive down costs in the nearly $400 billion program — or instead force the plane’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, to compete for its business. But it’s now unclear when that will happen.

Some fear that if nations such as Canada balk, there could be questions about the long-term affordability of the program. Meanwhile, Boeing, one of Lockheed Martin’s fiercest competitors, has pounced on what it sees as an opportunity in Canada and other countries to tout its F/A-18 Super Hornet as a proven, affordable alternative.