How US Trade Tensions Turned Canada's F-35 Buy Into A Sovereignty Debate

Published Jul 28, 2026, 1:00 AM EDT Aaron is an aviation enthusiast and world traveler with a deep interest in aerospace history and technology. He has traveled around the world numerous times, often incorporating visits to aviation museums and historic aircraft collections into his journeys. A native of New Zealand, he is an expert in aviation and maintains a broad interest in a variety of other subjects. Simple Flying has previously discussed that political considerations are one of the foremost concerns when purchasing new fighter jets. Fighter jets are very high-status, expensive, and national symbols that attract a huge amount of public attention and are something that national governments are typically very sensitive to. These also represent one of the most important pillars of a country's national defense and are essentially four-decade-long marriages between the selling country and its contractors and the recipient country and its contractors and air force. The Canadian F-35A Lightning II fighter jet purchase, coupled with Canada negotiating to purchase a complementary fleet of Saab JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets with Saab GlobalEye support, has brought this keenly into focus. Why The F-35 Is Low On The Sovereignty Ladder Credit: Department of Defense The United States is home to the depth of resources and internal demand that it doesn't need to export fighter jets in order to make them feasible and sustain its industry. This was seen in the export-banned F-22 Raptor, previous Cold War limitations on exports on F-16s and F-15s (long since lifted), and could yet be seen on the upcoming F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet, Trump's comments that it would be exported notwithstanding. By contrast, the F-35 was designed as an export-oriented aircraft that would fill the needs of not only the US Air Force, Marines, and Navy, but also its core allies. The fighter jet was also developed with funding and design contributions from key allies (especially the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, and Italy). The UK has the biggest share, contributing around 15% of each aircraft built, depending on counting methodology. Britain's share is highest in the F-35B variant Even so, the US is not dependent on export sales for the success and feasibility of the F-35 program. The US combined program of record for the F-35 is around 2,500 jets, while the export program of records amount for around 1,100 or so aircraft. Put another way, export orders are around 30% of the total F-35s currently expected to be delivered, although the number could shift significantly in time. This is large and significant, but not make-or-break for the program. The US Is Extremely Protective Of The F-35 Credit: Department of Defense The United States does permit final assembly of F-35As in Japan and F-35As and F-35Bs in Italy, and Switzerland does some assembling work in the country before final checkout in Italy. Several nations, including Canada, contribute components to every F-35 produced. However, the US is also extremely protective of the jet, going so far as to kick Turkey out of the program after it purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system. Countries that operate the F-35 do so often under onerous conditions. For example, it has been reported that the US forbade Israeli pilots with dual passports from flying them. It is almost impossible for countries to modify the jet in any way, with the US retaining strict controls, although it does permit Israel some limited leeway. The United States has denied requests by Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan to purchase the jet, mostly out of security considerations. Many countries maintain control of their jets when sold to other countries, but this varies enormously. Any country purchasing the F-35 will remain extremely closely tied to the US for spare parts, upgrades, integration of new systems, and more. Other Countries Are Forced To Compromise Credit: Department of Defense Sweden (Saab Gripen) and France (Dassault Rafale) are two countries with their own fighter jet programs, but are forced to design them around export to make them feasible. This is much more important for smaller Sweden than France. Additionally, while France owns the vast majority of the intellectual property for the Rafale, much of the intellectual property (perhaps two-thirds) of the Gripen is not Swedish-owned but owned by Britain and the US. Historically, Sweden struggled to sell its Gripen, and so the vast majority (around 80%) of the legacy A/B and C/D jets were ordered by Sweden. A total of 270 or more have been built, of which around 200 went to the Swedish Air Force. Going forward, the export potential for the redesigned Gripen E/F is much more promising. Lockheed F-35 Lightning II fighter jet customers Programs of record (per F-35.com) Countries United States Air Force 1,763 US United States Marine Corps 420 US United States Navy 273 US European states and Canada Approximately 770 UK, Italy, Greece, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland Asia-Pacific and Middle East Approximately 330 Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore Sweden is planning to purchase 60 examples, Brazil has ordered 38, but plans to order 20 more, Colombia has ordered 17, Thailand has ordered four with plans for more, Ukraine is placing firm orders for 16 with plans to purchase over 100, and Canada is considering purchasing 72, while Peru's plan to order 24 seems to have collapsed. Adding these together, around 80% of the Gripen E/F's future order book for over 300 jets could be exported. This gives those customers (particularly Brazil and Canada) enormous bargaining power to participate in extensive worksharing, access to the source code, component manufacturing, and assembly. Brazil has negotiated for Embraer to assemble the jets and produce some components. In Brazil, these are marketed domestically as a national aircraft, the first Brazilian fighter jet. Canada is looking to do the same, potentially slapping a Bombardier and 'Made in Canada' label on it. Fighter Jet Sales Require Trust Credit: US Air Force Trust is essential when it comes to fighter jet sales. One of the top reasons why countries purchase the F-35 is capability, one reason why countries (Brazil and Canada) purchase the Gripen is industrial participation, and one of the top reasons why countries purchase the Dassault is trust. Some countries have somewhat uneasy relations with Washington and are unsure if the US will hamstring their fighter jet program in the future if relations deteriorate. This happened with Venezuela, which purchased US F-16 Fighting Falcons in the 1980s, and Iran after it purchased F-14s and F-4s from the US in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also a cause of concern for Turkey, which has had its F-35 order frozen, had trouble negotiating to purchase new F-16s, and has complained of Washington slow-walking engines for its upcoming Kaan fighter jet. Trust in Washington has traditionally been exceptionally strong with core allies like Japan, Australia, and the UK. However, for countries that do not have a solid basis of trust in Washington, the French Rafale has long been attractive (such as Indonesia, India, Serbia). This is partly due to France's reputation for prioritizing weapon sales over politics. For reasons previously explained by Simple Flying, the Rafale is not a practical option for Canada (neighter is the Eurofighter), and the Saab Gripen is considered the most promising non-US fighter jet available. The Shaking Of Canadian Trust Credit: US Air Force From Canada's point of view, it has remained a loyal ally of the United States and taken its NORAD commitments seriously. However, the first Trump administration and the hostile renegotiation of NAFTA shook Canada's trust that the relationship would always be stable and in good faith. It can be noted that it is normal for smaller neighbors around the world to be uneasy about their larger neighbors (such as Ukraine with Russia, Vietnam and Japan with China). It is less common for smaller neighbors to have deep trust in their large neighbors the way Canada and the US did, at least without accepting a loss of sovereignty and near-vassal status (such as Belarus with Russia). The return of Trump to the White House further shook Canada's long-term trust and any pretense that the first Trump term was an anomaly. This time, Trump reportedly threatened to tear up the 1908 Boundary Treaty with Canada and has made repeated attacks on its sovereignty. While many may see these remarks in jest, they are perceived differently north of the border. At the same time, current tensions should not be overstated. Canada and the US remain close NATO allies and are both fully committed to NORAD. Canada is not canceling the F-35 program, and intends to continue working closely with the United States and purchasing key weapon systems well into the future. An Insurance & Reassurance Policy Credit: NATO The debate in Canada should not be understood as a rupture with Washington, but rather the need for an insurance and reassurance policy. Canada has purchased the first F-35A fighter jets, and CBC News reports that Canada is quietly placing advance payments on the next batch of 14 F-35As. This means Canada will have a fleet of at least 30 F-35As for its NORAD commitments, although CBC also states Ottawa is considering eventually purchasing 60-72 F-35s. The announcement that Canada would purchase the GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft left many analysts convinced that Canada has already decided to purchase a fleet of Gripen Es. The questions for many are now how many and on what terms, including the scope of technology transfer and worksharing. The Gripen E is understood to be there as an insurance policy in case relations with Washington deteriorate. At least Canada would have a secondary, credible, and more sovereign fighter jet capability. At the same time, the Gripen offers Canada the chance to boost its domestic aviation industry, appease nationalist or uneasy elements in its society, and boost national pride with the first "Canadian-made" fighter jet since the canceled Avro Arrow CF-105 interceptor. The CF-105 remains a source of national pride and regret.