BY TYLER ROGOWAY
One of the strangest sagas in defense procurement over the last decade has been Canada's meandering road to a new fighter aircraft to replace, or even augment, the country's relatively small fleet of aging CF-18 Hornets. We have talked in great depth about this issue, and although the Super Hornet is clearly the right jet for Canada, a recent trade spat has made it politically unsavory for the Trudeau Administration to order even a handful of the strike fighters as a interim measure before selecting a fighter to replace the entire CF-18 fleet sometime in the future.
In the meantime, Ottawa quickly pivoted to looking for possible second-hand Hornet options to help bolster their current fleet of roughly 75 CF-18s. After seemingly leaving no stone unturned, Australia's F/A-18A/B Hornet fleet, which is nearly as old, seems to be where Canada has the best shot at attaining extra airframes without having to wait too long or go through Boeing to obtain them.
From most accounts, Australia has kept its F/A-18A/B fleet in remarkable fighting condition. These jets served as the country's only fighter for many years, and have seen action in conflict zones half way around the globe—most recently flying missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. But with a burgeoning Super Hornet fleet and F-35s on the way, the Aussies can probably spare some of their legacy Hornets in the near term.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/15104/its-official-canada-pens-formal-letter-of-interest-for-surplus-aussie-fa-18-hornets
