An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet practises for an air show appearance in Ottawa, in September, 2019.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Canada is buying close to $4-billion in air strike munitions from the United States government in a sale disclosed on Thursday, the day before Prime Minister Mark Carney’s next meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.
The munitions are of a type that can be carried by fighter jets, such as Canada’s aging CF-18s or U.S.-made F-35s, to carry out precision strikes.
Canada begins taking delivery of new F-35 fighters starting in 2026, but is reconsidering how many of them it will purchase as the United States under Mr. Trump becomes a less predictable trade and defence partner.
The Department of National Defence said in a statement that the air-to-surface weapons are for use in CF-18s and F-35s, and in SkyGuardian drones and P8 Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
“The Royal Canadian Air Force is planning to acquire Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Small Diameter Bombs from the U.S. Government through the Foreign Military Sales program,” the statement from spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin said.
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David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, a think tank, said the Carney government’s significant increase in military funding this year means the Air Force has more resources to conduct training. A portion of the purchase is practice bombs, and it also includes kits to convert unguided munitions into guided ones that use GPS or lasers to steer toward targets with high accuracy.
The information became public Thursday because the U.S. State Department publicly announced the sale and notified the U.S. Congress of the transaction under rules governing foreign military sales.
The deal is a reminder of how reliant Canada is on the U.S. for military equipment even as Mr. Carney talks of reducing the country’s dependence on its southern neighbour. Canada purchases about 75 per cent of its defence gear from its U.S.
“The proposed sale will improve Canada’s credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region, ensure interoperability with U.S. forces, and strengthen Canada’s ability to contribute to shared continental defense,” the U.S. State Department said in a press release.
It said the suppliers of the weapons are the Boeing Company and RTX Corporation.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of a NATO Ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress and is a contributor to military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world,” the State Department said.
Mr. Carney will have a brief meeting Friday in Washington with Mr. Trump, who has recently spoken of leaving the trilateral United States-Mexico-Canada free-trade deal. The meeting will take place as the two leaders gather for the final FIFA World Cup draw.
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.