The United States has intensified pressure on Canada’s Mark Carney government to complete the purchase of the F-35 Lightning II stealth aircraft, or face “consequences.”
The Canadian government inked a CAD19 billion (US$14.2 billion) deal with Lockheed Martin in January 2023 to acquire 88 F-35 fighter jets in four tranches by 2032. The acquisition was intended to replace the aging CF-18s of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
However, after taking office in March this year, PM Carney announced that his government would review the purchase amid burgeoning tensions with the Trump administration. As per the plan, the RCAF will take delivery of the 16 F-35s already paid for, but is evaluating whether to proceed with the remaining 72 jets.
With the purchase still under due consideration by Canadian officials and defence experts, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Canada said there would be “significant consequences” for the continental defence alliance, NORAD (North American Air Defence), if Canada does not complete the purchase of 88 F-35A as initially planned.
“NORAD would have to be altered,” US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told CBC News in an exclusive interview.
The envoy further argued that the US would likely have to buy more of these jets for the US Air Force (USAF) and fly them into Canadian airspace more frequently to address the prevailing threats to Washington.
“If Canada is no longer going to provide that [capability], then we have to fill those gaps,” Hoekstra was quoted as saying.
NORAD’s mission, which includes aerospace warning, control, and the defence of North American airspace, depends on an integrated network of radar, satellites, and fighter aircraft on both sides of the border.
NORAD’s structure ensures the closest available aircraft, regardless of which side of the border it’s on, can respond first to threats, enabling faster intercepts and more efficient use of resources.
Canada remains deeply committed to this partnership for its own security and that of the broader alliance. In fact, in late 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office confirmed that Ottawa was actively negotiating with Washington to modernize and strengthen NORAD, including potential participation in advanced layered missile defense initiatives.
Notably, Ambassador Hoekstra said that if Canada doesn’t buy more F-35s than the 16 it has now ordered, the US military will intervene more frequently in Canada. Not just that, the ambassador signalled that the NORAD partnership would have to be reconsidered if Canada decided to purchase the Gripen.
“If they decide they’re going with an inferior product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is, that changes our defence capability. And as such, we have to figure out how we’re going to replace that,” the ambassador told CBC.
This could be seen as an open threat by the US envoy, and has been met with skepticism by experts. “Public sniping only benefits our adversaries and risks undermining the credibility of our shared deterrence,” Andrea Charron told CBC News. Charron is the director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, and one of Canada’s top analytical voices on NORAD.
The ambassador’s comments were characterized by a former senior Canadian national security officer as “clearly a political pressure tactic to force the Canadian government’s hand.
Growing Rift Between the US & Canada
The decision to review the F-35 purchase was taken after the US President Donald Trump imposed unprecedented tariffs on Canada and called on the country to become the 51st state of the US.
Additionally, there were concerns that, in the event of a political fallout, the Trump administration could weaponize its control over the aircraft by blocking access to spare parts and software upgrades.
Adding fuel to the fire, on January 20, Trump posted an image on a social media platform of a map showing Canada and Venezuela covered in the US flag, implying a full American takeover of both countries.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government sided with its NATO partners over Greenland’s autonomy, saying that Trump cannot decide its ownership.
“The future of Greenland is a decision for Greenland and for the Kingdom of Denmark,” he told reporters while reiterating his support for Danish sovereignty over the strategic Arctic island. “We are NATO partners with Denmark, and so our full partnership stands,” Carney said, breaking the silence on the escalating rhetoric. “Our obligations on Article 5, Article 2 of NATO stand, and we stand full-square behind those.”
Separately, PM Mark Carney hit back at President Donald Trump’s provocative claim at the World Economic Forum that “Canada lives because of the United States.”
The Canadian Prime Minister said the two countries have a strong partnership built on security, trade, and cultural ties, but he made it clear: “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
Trump later cancelled his invitation for Carney to join the ‘Board of Peace.’
More recently, the two sides entered a diplomatic standoff with the US over ties with China, as Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on goods imported from Canada if the latter signed a trade deal with Beijing.
However, Carney later clarified that the country has ‘no intention’ of pursuing a free trade agreement with China and explained that the trade between the two sides merely cuts tariffs on a few sectors.
Interestingly, Canadian troops are reportedly preparing for a possible US invasion for the first time in 100 years. The plan includes plans to use asymmetric tactics, drone warfare, and requests for European backup if the need arises.
Saab Intensifies Campaign For Gripens
Swedish defence giant SAAB has offered 72 Gripen E/F fighter jets and 6 GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to the Canadian Armed Forces, which would generate thousands of jobs in the country, as recently explained by the EurAsian Times.
Reiterating its offer, Saab informed the Canadian Armed Forces last week that it could deliver on its promise to create 12,600 jobs locally if Ottawa buys 72 Gripen jets and six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft.
In November 2025, Saab CEO Micael Johansson stated the company was tying up with Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier to pave the way for license production of Gripen-E/F fighter jets. At the time, the CEO promised to create 10,000 jobs, but did not specify how many aircraft would be produced to achieve that goal.
The SAAB pitch emphasizes job creation and local manufacturing.
Officials and experts in Canada are currently studying the proposals for both aircraft to assess their defence and economic feasibility for procurement.
To make the offer more enticing, the Swedish manufacturer has expanded it by adding the GlobalEye aircraft, presenting it as a package deal that will help Ottawa diversify its arms purchases and create more jobs, boosting its economy.
Despite that, there are many backers of the American stealth aircraft within the Canadian military. “Both China and Russia have fifth-generation fighter aircraft and fifth-generation missiles that can go at much greater speeds and with much more that are holding Western allies at risk at this moment in time,” said the new commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, indicating an obvious inclination.
Some others have drawn attention to a 2021 evaluation conducted by Canada’s Department of National Defence, the F-35 received a 95% rating for military capabilities. The Gripen-E finished with a score of 33%, scoring 19.8 points out of 60, according to data obtained by Radio-Canada.
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