OTTAWA — Experts are warning against drawing conclusions on whether Canada is getting a good deal for the F-35, given the large startup costs associated with buying and fielding a new fighter jet, which include much-needed upgrades to the Air Force’s physical and digital infrastructure.
While a formal announcement has not been made, The Canadian Press reported on Tuesday that the Department of National Defense has received authorization to spend $7 billion on an initial set of 16 F-35s and associated gear.
While that works out to about $450 million per plane, which is about four times more than the publicly reported cost of the aircraft, the total includes weapons and spare parts, new facilities to house and maintain the fighter jets and upgrades to the military’s computer networks.
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