Canada’s first two F-35A stealth fighters have reached a U.S. Air Force base for pilot training, but Ottawa still hasn’t decided how many it will buy, and Sweden’s Gripen remains on the table.
Canada received its first two Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters on Oct. 22 at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, while Ottawa still weighs how large a fleet to buy.
Aviation Week reported Monday that the jets, which Canada designates CF-35As, will be used for training.
The Canadian Press reported that the Royal Canadian Air Force announced the delivery on social media Friday. The RCAF could not immediately say when pilot training would begin.
The jets are not headed north yet. Canada plans to base its initial eight F-35As at Luke for pilot training, according to the Department of National Defence’s Future Fighter Capability Project page. The department’s 2026-27 departmental plan targets 2028 for the first F-35 arrival in Canada.
Fleet Decision Still Pending
Canada finalized an agreement to buy 88 F-35s in January 2023. Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered a review of the purchase on March 14, 2025.
Nineteen months later, the review has yet to produce a final decision. As of Oct. 25, Ottawa was still deciding how many fighters to buy, The Canadian Press reported.
The review weighs operational requirements, North American Aerospace Defense Command and NATO commitments, industrial benefits, strategic partnerships and alternatives, according to briefing material prepared for a May 6 appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.
Ottawa had legally committed funds for the first 16 aircraft, Reuters reported April 27.
A May 5 Public Services and Procurement Canada briefing said scheduled payments under the F-35 agreement continued during the review. The briefing estimated the project at C$27.7 billion. That figure covers associated equipment, initial weapons and ammunition, sustainment setup and services, and fighter squadron facilities.
The program already reaches deep into Canadian industry. The May 6 defense briefing said 37 Canadian companies held active F-35 contracts, mostly for production. More than 110 Canadian companies have received F-35 contracts since the program began.
Reported Lack of Ceremony
FlightGlobal reported Monday that the delivery came without an unveiling or handover ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant. The outlet described that as unusual for a new international F-35 customer and linked it to the trade dispute between Ottawa and Washington.
That account could not be independently confirmed. The RCAF’s social media announcement of the delivery did not address the arrangements, and Lockheed Martin, the Canadian government and the U.S. administration had not publicly explained them in statements or delivery coverage reviewed as of Oct. 26.
Gripen Stays in the Picture
Canadian officials have kept other options open.
“The question of other jets from other countries is something that is on the table, that is part of the review,” Defense Minister David McGuinty told a Senate defense committee in April, Reuters reported.
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s industry minister, struck a similar note Oct. 14 at a Globe and Mail defense industry summit in Ottawa, according to FlightGlobal.
“Whether we will go ahead with the Gripen, the decision has not yet been taken, and you will not have me saying anything different today,” she said.
Asked about resolving the F-35 question, Joly deferred to Carney. “I’m not the ultimate decision-maker, so I’ll let the prime minister answer that question,” she said.
Saab President and CEO Micael Johansson is promoting the Swedish-made Gripen as a complement to Canada’s F-35 program and planned to travel to Canada shortly, Reuters reported Oct. 23.
Saab and Canada’s Defence Investment Agency announced a nonbinding term sheet Sept. 25 under which Canada intends to negotiate for six GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft. Both sides said the agreement is not a procurement contract or commitment. The agency said talks would cover configuration, industrial participation and schedule.
Other U.S. Purchases Proceed
FlightGlobal reported Monday that Canada is proceeding with other major U.S. equipment purchases, including Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9B remotely piloted surveillance aircraft. Lt. Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, who took command of the RCAF in July 2025, said in an interview published by FlightGlobal the following month that existing procurement contracts were unchanged.
What’s Next for the F-35 in Canada
The departmental plan, current as of March 2026, reports delays in fighter squadron facilities at Cold Lake, Alberta, and Bagotville, Quebec. The department has adopted an Interim Operations Plan to keep the first aircraft arrival in Canada on schedule.
The same plan targets initial operational capability in 2029 and full operational capability in 2033.
Key Takeaways
- Canada received its first two F-35As on Oct. 22 at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where its initial jets will train pilots.
- Ottawa is still reviewing its 2023 plan to buy 88 F-35s. Funds are legally committed for the first 16.
- Canadian officials say jets from other countries, including Sweden’s Gripen, remain part of the review.
- A reported absence of a Fort Worth handover ceremony, and its link to trade tensions, has not been independently confirmed.
- Government planning targets 2028 for the first F-35 arrival in Canada.