Canada’s Smart Move? The F-35 Warning From Switzerland Changes Everything

 

In this episode, we unpack why Canada’s F-35 program — once sold as a predictable, fixed-cost modernization plan — has turned into one of the country’s most complex defence debates in decades. With budgets ballooning, infrastructure needs expanding, and Switzerland’s experience showing how quickly “guaranteed” prices can unravel, Canada now faces a crossroads: stay locked into the U.S. system or shift toward a fighter model built on autonomy and domestic industry. 

 

The cost surge: how a 19-billion-CAD plan grew to 27.7 billion — and why full lifecycle estimates may pass 33 billion CAD.

 

The Swiss warning: rising F-35 costs, political backlash, fragile “fixed-price” terms, and tariffs turning a routine purchase into a national controversy.

 

Canada reevaluates: Carney’s contract review, Blair’s search for alternatives, and new conversations with the EU about reducing U.S. dependence.

 

Gripen’s appeal: lower lifecycle costs, short-runway capability, higher availability rates, and suitability for Canada’s vast geography.

 

Industrial stakes: Saab’s offer of local assembly, IP transfer, 100% offsets, and the potential creation of thousands of high-tech aerospace jobs.

 

The split-fleet dilemma: operational complexity vs. long-term industrial resilience and strategic flexibility. 

 

The bigger decision: whether Canada wants the most advanced jet available — or a defence strategy that strengthens national capability for decades. 

 

 

Source:  CDN NewsWire