When the Royal Canadian Air Force announced it was opening a competition to replace its aging CF-18 fighters in 2017, the need was to purchase 88 fighter aircraft to fulfill its requirements for the next several decades.
Among the competitors vying for the role of Canada’s next fighter were the Lockheed Martin F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, and the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached t…