Saab has offered Canada the Gripen fighter jet as an alternative to the U.S.-built F-35, but is also open a mixed fleet of planes. The Liberal government is still reviewing the F-35 purchase in the wake of U.S. president Donald Trump’s actions to economically punish Canada. On Jan. 28, National Post reported the Liberal government was considering purchasing 40 F-35s in total and complementing those with the purchase of as many as 80 Gripens. Some defence analysts say the Gripen and GlobalEye can’t operate with
U.S. aircraft, but Saab supporters deny that is the case. Canada’s military procurement system has faced intense criticism over the years. On June 16, the government’s procurement watchdog issued a warning about the slow process. Major government defence projects take an average of 16 years to move through the full procurement pipeline, according to the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO), an independent government organization working to promote fairness and transparency in federal procurement. Its report found the length of time for major defence procurements
ranged from about seven years to 28 years, depending on the complexity of the project. David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
Canada, Saab, Gripen, GlobalEye, F-35, procurement, Office of the Procurement Ombudsman, OPO, Liberal government, defence projects