The president of Saab Canada is accusing the Canadian government of having disrespected the bidding rules for the Future Fighter Capability project, whose F-35 won.
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In a hearing with the House of Commons committee, Simon Carroll, CEO of the Canadian arm of the Swedish company, said that authorities in Ottawa were addressing issues with Lockheed Martin (maker of the F-35) and the US government that already should have been agreed upon during the bidding process.
The victory of 5th generation jet US was announced in March. The “invisible to radar” model outperformed the Saab Gripen E, finalist of the competition.
Swedish Gripen E flying four Meteor missiles and two IRIS-T missiles. Photo: Saab
“Recent government statements have indicated that Canada is negotiating cost, delivery schedule and economic benefits with our competitor,” Carroll told the committee.
“There must be no negotiation on these critical elements. These elements of the bidders' response should be engaged and evaluated as part of the competitive process.” Later, Carroll accused the government of not respecting the process that had been presented to Saab.
F-35 fighters of the 48th Fighter Wing at Siauliai air base in Lithuania. Photo: USAFE.
According to Radio Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada spokeswoman Michèle LaRose disagreed with Saab's claims and said the department was following the correct procedure.
“The finalization phase is still ongoing and is being executed as specified in the tender documents,” says LaRose. “During this phase, the highest ranked bidder must then demonstrate that a potential contract would meet all of Canada's requirements.”
Mock up of the F-35 in RCAF livery.
Lockheed Martin declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate given ongoing talks. The purchase of the 88 planes, valued at US$ 19 billion, should be finalized later this year. The forecast is that the first Canadian F-35s will be delivered in 2025.
This is not the first time that the F-35 has been a source of controversy in Canada. The jet had already been selected by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2010, but Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opposed, in 2015, the purchase of the F-35.
Two years later Future Fighter Capability was released. In 2018, Dassault removed the Rafale from the competition, claiming unfair conditions that favored Lockheed Martin and the F-35. The following year it was Airbus' turn to withdraw with the Typhoon, again under allegations of favoring Lockheed.
Three aircraft remained: the F-35, the Gripen E and the F/A-18 Super Hornet. At the end of 2021, the F/A-18, seen as a direct successor to the CF-188 Hornet, was excluded from the bidding process. According to Canada, the jet Boeing failed to meet an unspecified requirement.
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