Canada to Announce Older Australian F-18 Buy Next Week, Scraps Boeing Super Hornets Deal

The Canadian government will announce its intention to buy a used fleet of older Australian F-18 fighter jets scrapping the plan to buy 18 new Super Hornets from Boeing.

The decision comes amidst growing dispute with the US aerospace company, CNBC reported quoting unnamed sources as saying Tuesday.

The Canadian government has already submitted an expression of interest to buy used Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from Australia.

Canada expects to receive a response by the end of this year that will provide details regarding the availability and cost of the aircraft and associated parts that Canada is considering," the Canadian government said in October this year.

Last year, Canada announced plans to buy 18 Super Hornets as an interim solution for replacing a subset of the CF-18 Hornet fleet due for retirement within five years, but talks with Boeing over the planned acquisition were suspended by Canada after Boeing accused Bombardier in April of dumping its jet into the US market after receiving unfair subsidies from the Canadian government.

Matters worsened in recent months with the US Commerce Department recently levying a 219 per cent tariff on Bombardier’s CS100 sale to Delta Air Lines.

Earlier, Canada pulled out from a planned F-35 fighter jet purchase citing budgetary issues. A section of Canadian politicians have voiced against overspending on military acquisitions since the country does not face any direct threats.