Tender to replace aging fighter jets will be out this summer: Sajjan

A federal tender to replace Canada’s fighter jets will be issued formally by mid-July, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said today.

Sajjan told a major defence industry trade show Wednesday that the government hopes to have bids from aerospace contractors to review by the winter of 2020.

The Liberal government had been on track to present a final tender to replace the air force’s aging CF-18s by the end of May.

It was pushed back recently as federal officials amended the process of evaluating industrial benefits in order to allow Lockheed Martin’s F-35 to remain in the competition.

A senior government official, speaking on background Wednesday, said the intention once the bids are in will be to narrow down the contenders to two before deciding on a winner.

The official said the plan is to arrive at a final contract by 2022.

The first new jets won’t be delivered until at least 2025.

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fighter-jets-sajjan-july-1.5153959?cmp=rss