General

Analyst expects F-35 jets to cost double what Ottawa expects

Price could rise to $148 million per jet once they’re built

A U.S. defence industry analyst predicts Canada will end up paying nearly double what the federal government has budgeted for its fleet of F-35 fighter jets. Winslow Wheeler, of the Centre for Defence Information, told reporters in Ottawa that by the time the jets are fully tested and ready for purchase, the price will likely climb to $148 million per jet. “Nobody on this earth” is going to get them for the $75 million a piece the Conservative government estimated, he said. Wheeler has worried for more than 30 years on Capitol Hill for Republican and Democrat senators and for the U.S. General Accounting Office.

CBC News

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