Late 2017: Canada may buy used Australian F-18A/B jets......

[Stratofreighter]

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/p ... ndmail.com&

Ottawa seeks second-hand jets from Australia amid Boeing, Bombardier dispute

Federal officials say the government is refusing to sign
a planned multibillion-dollar contract for Boeing-produced F/A-18 Super Hornets
as long as the company pursues its complaint against Bombardier
at the International Trade Commission in the United States.

OTTAWA

12 hours ago

September 5, 2017

The Canadian government is looking into buying second-hand fighter jets in Australia
– instead of a new fleet of 18 Super Hornets –
as it tries to force Boeing Co. to drop its trade dispute against Bombardier Inc., sources said.

Federal officials said the government is refusing to sign
a planned multibillion-dollar contract for Super Hornets as long as Boeing
pursues its complaint against Bombardier at the International Trade Commission in the United States.

A final decision to pull the plug on the Super Hornet contract has not been made,
but tensions with Boeing are quickly escalating
and the government is looking at all options
to increase the pressure on the firm, the officials said.

A Canadian delegation travelled to Australia last month
to see whether second-hand F/A-18 fighter jets,
which are being placed on the market
by the country's military,
could fit Canada's needs for an "interim" fleet.

In addition, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Eric Greitens,
the Governor of Missouri,
where Boeing's Super Hornets are assembled,
to highlight the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs that are now in play.

"Canada is reviewing current military procurement that relates to Boeing,
as Boeing is pursuing unfair and aggressive trade action against the Canadian aerospace sector.

Meanwhile, Boeing receives billions in support from U.S. federal, state and municipal governments,"
the Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday.

Federal officials said that Boeing recently walked away from discussions with the federal government to find a way to settle the Bombardier dispute.

Last week, a senior executive from the firm told Canadian media that Boeing would not back down in its fight against unfair subsidies,
alleging Bombardier received billions in illegal assistance from the Canadian and Quebec governments.

"We recognize the Canadian government might be upset with us. We don't intend to upset anybody, but we plainly have to do what we believe is right,"
Boeing International president Marc Allen told The Globe and Mail.

Boeing complained in April to the U.S. Department of Commerce
that Bombardier's C Series planes were unfairly subsidized by the Canadian and Quebec governments.

Last year, Bombardier sold 75 109-seat CS100 planes to Delta Air Lines at a cut-rate cost, which led to Boeing's accusation of predatory pricing.

Bombardier has denied any wrongdoing and is currently defending itself in front of the International Trade Commission.

[Stratofreighter]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cana ... SKBN1DZ2W2

December 5, 2017 / 9:00 PM

Canada is scrapping a plan to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets amid a deepening dispute with the U.S. aerospace company,
three sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Instead, the Liberal government will announce next week
it intends to acquire a used fleet of older Australia F-18 jets,
the same kind of plane Canada currently operates, said the sources,
who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The move underlines Ottawa’s anger at a decision by Boeing to launch a trade challenge against Canadian planemaker Bombardier,
which the U.S. giant accuses of dumping airliners on the American market.

The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially said in late 2016 it wanted the Boeing jets as a stopgap measure until it could launch a competition for a permanent fleet to replace Canada’s ageing CF-18 jets.

But as relations with Boeing deteriorated, Ottawa slammed the firm for not acting as a trusted partner and began looking at the Australian jets.

Australia’s Defence Department said Canada lodged a formal expression of interest for “a number” of Australia’s F/A-18 Classic Hornets on Sept. 29,
in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“Defence is continuing to assist Canada in regards to their EOI,” the statement added,
without disclosing a price or any other details.

Two sources also said Australian military officials had been in Ottawa late last month for talks.

One source said that by buying the Australian fleet, Canada would save money as well as avoid the need to train its pilots on a new aircraft or spend money on a new supply chain.

Officials had previously said that if the purchase went ahead, some of the Australian aircraft would be used for spare parts.

Boeing declined to comment. The Australian mission in Ottawa was not immediately available for comment.

Canada is due to officially announce the requirements for its new fighter fleet in early 2019, kicking off an open competition.

One potential contender is Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 fighter,
which Trudeau initially said he would not buy because it was too expensive.

The government has since softened its line, saying the plane would be allowed to compete.

[Alpha Kilo One]

Luchtvaartnieuws presents it "as a done deal"

https://www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl/nieuws/ ... 1-80309109