Opposition grows to purchase of 65 fighter jets

The New York Times:

Ottawa — Political opposition to Canada’s plan to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin increased on Thursday after the release of a report suggesting that the government had understated their cost by about $12 billion.

When the Canadian government announced its intent to purchase the planes, it estimated the price for the aircraft at 9 billion Canadian dollars ($9.3 billion). Including spare parts and maintenance, the government’s total estimate is just over 17 billion Canadian dollars ($17.5 billion).

But a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer released on Thursday concluded that the final cost would most likely be $29.3 billion.

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