Canada undecided on stealth jets

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OTTAWA, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Canadian government said it hasn't made a decision on the purchase of F-35 fighter planes but admitted other planes are under consideration.

Thursday the office of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper denied a media report the plan to obtain the stealth jets, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, was abandoned, calling it "inaccurate on a number of fronts."

Cost and life-cycle studies by the accounting firm KPMG to determine the value to the Canadian military of the new plane, which will replace Canada's CF-18 fighter planes, are being reviewed, the government said Thursday.

The government has maintained the F-35 was the only available plane that met the country's defense needs but last week defense staff chief Gen. Tom Lawson told Parliament there are other planes with the required stealth capabilities to be considered, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.