For the first time in 44 years, a brand-new fighter type wears the maple leaf. On 22 October 2026 the Royal Canadian Air Force took delivery of its first two CF-35A Lightning IIs at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and announced the news on social media the following day.
It is a milestone with an asterisk. The jets will not see Canada for some time; they are staying in the desert to train Canadian pilots. And back in Ottawa, the question of how many more will follow is still officially open.
Kurzinfo
- Flugzeug: Lockheed Martin CF-35A Lightning II (F-35A), single seat, one Pratt & Whitney F135 engine
- Geliefert: 22 October 2026, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (two aircraft)
- Geplante Flotte: 88 aircraft; 16 contractually committed, the rest under review
- Ausbildung: First eight aircraft to remain at Luke
- First jets in Canada: 2028, at 4 Wing Cold Lake and 3 Wing Bagotville
- Operational capability: Initial 2029-2030, full 2032-2034
- Ersetzt: CF-18 (CF-188) Hornet, in Canadian service since 1982
- Project value: C$27.7 billion (Department of National Defence, includes facilities and sustainment)
Two jets, one desert
The delivery came about a month after the first Canadian F-35 made its maiden flight from Lockheed Martin's plant in Fort Worth, Texas, on 23 September. According to Canada's Department of National Defence, the first eight aircraft will be based at the F-35A Pilot Training Center at Luke, home of the US Air Force's 56th Fighter Wing, and will train RCAF pilots there until the infrastructure at home is ready.
Luke is where much of the world learns to fly the F-35A. The Aviationist reports that the base trains about three quarters of all F-35 pilots, on a basic course of roughly nine months. The RCAF has not said when training on its own jets will begin.
Eighty-eight, or sixteen?
Canada confirmed in January 2023 that it would buy 88 F-35As to replace its CF-18 Hornets. In March 2025, amid trade tensions with Washington, Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered a review of the purchase. That review has still not produced a public answer. Canada is contractually committed to the first 16 aircraft; the other 72 are being weighed against alternatives, with the Saab Gripen the most discussed, possibly as part of a mixed fleet.
A government spokesperson told The Aviationist simply that a decision on the full program is currently under review. The RCAF's own commander has been less ambiguous about the aircraft itself.
There is also an industrial argument. According to Lockheed Martin figures cited by CP24, every F-35 carries more than C$3 million in Canadian-made parts from six provinces, including horizontal tails built by Magellan Aerospace in Winnipeg.
Fighter pilots react to the first flight of Canada's first F-35 in Fort Worth, September 2026 (The Mover and Gonky Show).
Getting ready at home
The CF-35A will eventually be based at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta and 3 Wing Bagotville in Quebec. The Department of National Defence says Cold Lake's new fighter facility is designed for three squadrons and Bagotville's for two, each built around a new hangar with squadron headquarters, maintenance, security and training buildings. The first jets are due in Canada in 2028, with initial operational capability planned for 2029-2030 and full capability for 2032-2034.
The department values the whole Future Fighter Capability Project at C$27.7 billion, a figure that covers aircraft, equipment, sustainment, training and the new facilities; the aircraft acquisition alone is usually quoted at around C$19 billion. Whether that money ends up buying 88 F-35s, 16 F-35s and a Swedish alternative, or something in between, is the question two jets on a ramp in Arizona cannot answer.
CBC News: The National on the F-35 and the politics around Canada's purchase.
Sources: The Aviationist, Defence Industry Europe, Narcity, Department of National Defence (Future Fighter Capability Project), CTV News / CP24, Skies Mag
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