F-35 Timeline: Canada's biggest air defence purchase ever Although Canada still hasn't purchased the F-35 Lightning II jet fighter, it has been involved in developing the airplane since the 1990s.
Late 1993: The Pentagon launches a program to replace the US Navy's A-6 attack planes and the US Air Force's F-16s.
1995: In response to a decision by the US Congress, military leaders incorporate an advanced short take-off and vertical landing aircraft into the new fighter jet program, making it the first to attempt to develop a common fighter for the US Army, Navy and Air Force. The program is named the Joint Strike Fighter.
December 20, 1995: The US and the UK agree to collaborate to define the requirements and design the new "joint strike fighter." The UK contributes US$200 million to the first phase of development and US$2 billion US to the second phase.
November 16, 1996: The US Defense Department announces it has chosen US aerospace companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin to compete to come up with the best design for the Joint Strike Fighter.
June 11, 1997: Liberal Art Eggleton is named Canada's Defence Minister
January 2, 1998: Canada signs on to the first phase of the JSF program - "concept demonstration" -- and agrees to contribute US$10.6 million as an observer of the program's management innovations. Canadian officials state that there is no commitment to buy the aircraft and that Canada does not expect the JSF to replace its fighter jet, the CF-18.
2000: A report from the US Government Accountability Office notes that the JSF program has already been scaled back because of cost overruns and development delays at both Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The Department of National Defence and Industry Canada launch an aggressive marketing campaign to convince Canadian aerospace manufacturers that signing on to the JSF program is a strategic opportunity that should not be missed.
Early 2001: Canada sets up an interdepartmental JSF team to promote opportunities for Canadian industry.
October 26, 2001: The US Department of Defense selects Lockheed Martin over Boeing as the winner of its design competition for the Joint Strike Fighter.
2002: Alan Williams is named Assistant Deputy Defence Minister (Materiel), the Canadian defence bureaucrat responsible for overseeing military procurement.
February 7, 2002: Canada signs a second agreement with the US, formally entering the JSF second development phase and agreeing to spend another US$150 million, part of which is to be used as loans available to Canadian companies to conduct research and development for the program. The agreement guarantees Canadian industry the chance to bid for contracts in the JSF program but provides no guarantee Canadian industry will win.
June 26, 2002: Liberal John McCallum is named Defence Minister.
2003: A technical, costing and manufacturing review in the US leads to the first of what will become a series of adjustments to the JSF Program adjustment.
December 12, 2003: Liberal David Pratt is named Defence Minister
March 2004: The US Defense Department extends the time table and increases projected costs for the JSF Program because of development problems. The Navy and Marine Corps cuts its order of F-35s by 400, reducing the total US purchase to 2,457.
July 20, 2004: Liberal Bill Graham named Defence Minister.
March 2005: A report from the US Government Accountability Office finds that the JSF program is plagued by delays and cost overruns. Program acquisition unit costs have increased by 23 percent since 2001, and uncertainties about the program make it difficult to estimate how much it will eventually cost. The GAO concludes that the original JSF business case is "unexecutable." The Canadian Air Force begins a preliminary analysis of potential aircraft to replace the CF-18s. It assesses five candidate aircraft, based on information from site visits to various aircraft manufacturers. Boeing's Super Hornet, Saab's Gripen, the Typhoon Eurofighter and the French-built Rafale are existing aircraft. The fifth is the F-35, which has not yet taken its first flight.
April 2005: Alan Williams retires as assistant deputy minister of materiel.
May 2005: Lieutenant General Steve Lucas becomes Chief of the Air Staff. Retired Canadian land forces commander Dan Ross takes over from Alan Williams as assistant deputy minister of materiel.
2006: The JSF program enters its third phase: production, sustainment and follow-on development.
February 6, 2006: Stephen Harper is sworn in as Prime Minister, heading a Conservative minority government. Gordon O'Connor, a retired Brigadier General, a businessman and a lobbyist, is named Defence Minister.
June 22, 2006: DND summarizes its options for a new jet fighter, based on the Air Force analysis of potential replacements. It recommends that Canada remain a partner in the JSF program with "the intention but not a commitment, to potentially purchase the aircraft at a later date." It adds that "arguably, if the JSF delivers everything that has been promised by Lockheed Martin...JSF will prove to be the best available replacement aircraft to meet future Canadian aerospace warfare requirements." - See more at: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2012-2013/2012/09/timeline-f-35-canadas-biggest-air-defence-purchase-ever.html#sthash.RoPerXz9.dpuf
Not only have the Conservatives lied to Canadians they have lied to the House of Commons and continue to lie.
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