Sunday, November 25, 2018
Canada currently has 76 F-18 aircraft and more than 1,450 personnel contributing to the country's fighter capability. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government cancelled the purchase of new F-35 fighter jets when it came to power in 2015, and then scrapped its own backstop for an interim fleet of 18 Super Hornets amid a trade spat with Boeing, before settling on 18 used Australian F-18s. The nation currently has only 64 percent of the trained pilots it needs to effectively enforce Canada's sovereignty and respond quickly to threats, as well as take part in international operations with allies. In the two years to March 2018, the Royal Canadian Air Force lost 40 trained fighter pilots and produced only 30 new ones. Since then, an additional 17 fighter pilots have left or stated their intention to leave. Advertisement
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