18 October 2010

Canadian CF-18s To Fly Until 2020

Canada's fleet of CF-18 jet fighters is expected to remain in service until at least 2020 ...and probably longer if past history is any indication).
The federal government has awarded a $273.8-million contract to the Canadian subsidiary of U.S.-based Harris Corporation to help keep the Canadian Forces CF-18 fighter aircraft operational until 2020.

Under the contract announced Sunday, Harris Canada Inc. in Calgary will provide avionics maintenance for the CF-18s until they are replaced by the F-35 Lightning II. The government announced in July that it is purchasing 65 F-35s from Lockheed Martin at a cost of $9 billion, with deliveries to begin in 2016.

The nine-year Harris contract — which, unlike the F-35 purchase, the government said was competitively tendered — covers repair, overhaul, engineering, management and support for almost 2,300 components that make up the electronic systems aboard each CF-18.

The government said the work will maintain 40 full-time jobs in Calgary until the CF-18s are retired in 2020.
By: Shelldrake

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