The Stealth and the Sovereign: Inside Canada’s Dogfight to Replace the Hornet
For decades, the aging CF-18 Hornet has been the lone sentinel of the Canadian skies, but as airframes fatigue and radar signatures grow obsolete, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has reached a critical crossroads. What was once a settled $19-billion plan to buy 88 Lockheed Martin F-35s has re-ignited into a multi-billion-dollar saga that is as much a political minefield as a military procurement. As of February 2026, the government remains locked in a high-stakes review, caught between the promise of American stealth and a newly aggressive “sovereignty” pitch from Sweden’s Saab.
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