OTTAWA, July 16 (UPI) -- Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay announced plans Friday to buy a new fleet of fighter jets from Lockheed-Martin.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters would replace the existing CF-18s, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2016, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
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The total value of the contract is $9 billion Canadian ($8.5 billion U.S.), MacKay said. A maintenance contract would probably double that.
"It's yet another shining example that our government will always ensure that the Canadian Forces have the best," MacKay told reporters in Ottawa.