Canada Signs F-35 Production Phase MoU

F-35, eh?(click to view full) In a December 11, 2006 ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, Canada’s Department of National Defence formalized their continued partnership in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program. Canada was the second of eight partner nations to sign the MoU for the Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development phase. The Department of Industry also signed MoUs with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Pratt & Whitney and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team. Canada has been an active Tier 3 partner in the JSF program, participating in both the Concept Demonstration Phase ($10 million) and the System Development and Demonstration Phase ($150 million). This USD $160 million has included funding from both the Department of National Defence, and from Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC). In the Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development Phase of the F-35 program, it is estimated that Canada’s contribution will exceed C$ 500 million (currently about $435 million) over 44 years. The Canadian Department of National Defense had this to say regarding the F-35’s status as the follow-on to its current CF-18 (F/A-18A) fighter fleet: CF-18, 20-year colours(click to view full) “While participation in this next phase does not commit the Department to purchasing the […]