While the federal government has yet to determine what it will do with its order for an entire fleet of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, it is already looking to the next big thing.
Ottawa is widely expected to announce Tuesday that it will join the sixth-generation fighter jet program run by the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy — not as a participant but as an observer with access to inside information.
Defense Secretary David McGinty, who is currently in the UK attending a major international air show, said the government was interested in learning more about the global air combat programme.
The three countries launched the Global Air Combat Program to replace Japanese F-2s and Eurofighter Typhoon fighters used by the United Kingdom and Italy.
It is still very early days and it is not yet clear whether Canada has a viable path to participate in the fighter jet program in a way that engages domestic industry.
“It’s still very conceptual,” said Philippe Lagasse, a professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
“Research has begun on this. Its viability is not yet clear. Its importance is not yet clear. We will have a lot of critics who will argue that we should abandon conventional fighters completely. There are a lot of things to solve and some uncertainty… but that is normal for a project like this.”
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David Perry, president of the Canadian Institute of World Affairs, said there are a lot of unanswered questions about how Canada will participate and whether there will be an entry fee.
But he said obtaining observer status could help shape the federal government’s thinking about future participation in the program.
“I think it makes sense for us, at least, to take a pause and then see whether or not it seems like a good initiative to be part of a larger, more serious initiative,” he said.
In the United States, Boeing is manufacturing the F-47, a next-generation twin-engine fighter to replace the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor. The cost of these aircraft is estimated at about 300 million US dollars per aircraft, which is much more expensive than the F-35.
The United States may not want to export the technology and it may be “too expensive for smaller air forces like the RCAF,” said Daniel Norton, a senior management systems analyst at the RAND Corporation thinktank.
The Global Air Combat Program “may be less expensive and provide greater opportunity for Canadian companies to participate in development and production,” he said.
“At the very least, the threat of participation could provide some leverage in negotiations with other contractors,” he added.
Canada’s plan to purchase a fleet of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets has been under federal review for more than a year.
Prime Minister Mark Carney placed the full order for 88 aircraft under review in March 2025 in response to the ongoing trade war started by US President Donald Trump.
Richard Shimuka, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said the global air combat program has suffered from internal tensions and it is not clear where the program will be in a few years.
The UK has lagged for almost a year in committing to funding, while Japan has pushed for a faster pace.
Shimoka noted that there is another option for Canada: joining the US Navy’s sixth generation project, the F/A-XX.
He said Canada could still seek to join once the political dynamics between Ottawa and Washington change.
“Canadian industries are very effectively aligned with American industry,” he said.
& Edition 2026 The Canadian Press
