Canada joining international program to build next generation of fighter jet

Defence Minister David McGuinty is expected to announce in the United Kingdom next week that Canada will play a role in an international program to build the next generation of stealth fighter jets, CBC News has learned.

Canada joining international program to build next generation of fighter jet U.K., Japan and Italy are partners in multibillion-dollar program Defence Minister David McGuinty is expected to announce in the United Kingdom next week that Canada will play a role in an international program to build the next generation of stealth fighter jets, CBC News has learned. Canada has reached a deal to join the Global Combat Air Program as an "observer," Canadian government sources said. The U.K., Japan and Italy are all partners in the multibillion-dollar program to develop and build the sixth-generation fighter jet by 2035.

"It's a good move to anticipate where we need to be in the future so that we're not playing catch-up," retired lieutenant-general Christopher Coates, a former top NORAD commander, told CBC News. Canada is playing catch-up with the fifth generation of fighter jets. The government is reviewing whether it will go ahead with purchasing its full order of 88 F-35s from the U.S.

The government launched the review into the F-35s more than a year ago in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's annexation threats and tariffs hammering Canadian industries. The decision to join an international program to create the next generation of fighter jet is not a replacement for the F-35, Coates said, and is instead complementary and offers new capabilities. He also said Canada needs more than 88 F-35s to defend itself and carry out its duties.

McGuinty will meet with his British, Japanese and Italian defence counterparts next week for a signing ceremony in London to formalize the observer status, a