“You will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Apart from the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II’s advanced stealth characteristics and operational capabilities, there is a more important argument to continue the purchase of all 88 F-35 fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF); and it’s that of logistics (in it broadest terms). The logistics and maintenance support for any air force fleet is crucial not only in peacetime or wartime but especially over the entire life span of the aircraft and even more so towards the end of its life.
The RCAF has a proven track record of supporting and maintaining aircraft fleets over exceptionally long periods of time and the most successful of these have been aircraft types with an extensive logistics and supply chain to draw upon. Examples include the Lockheed / Canadair T-33 Silver Star, CF-104 Starfighter, Lockheed CP-140 Aurora, and Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King to name a few. By contrast, the RCAF is already struggling to support its modern fleet of Sikorsky-built CH-148 Cyclone helicopters. That’s because no other nation has bought a military version of the Cyclone like the RCAF’s aircraft and the source of spare parts and components are already in short supply very early in the helicopter’s life cycle. The track record of European manufacturers having sufficient spare parts for modern fleets in operation is similarly not stellar.
The history of the CF-188 Hornet is a prime example of the need to have an extensive logistics support base within Canadian industry and in close cooperation with our allies. Canada originally acquired 138 Hornets starting in 1982. The original estimated life expectancy (ELE) for a fighter of that era was 20 years. But the ELE for the Hornet fleet has been progressively extended from 2010 onwards; the current plan is for the first F-35s to arrive starting in 2026, and for the last CF-188 to stop flying in 2032 (for 50 years of service or more than twice the original estimate). Over the decades, the RCAF and Canadian industry have delved into every aspect of CF-188 maintenance and logistics support from airframe fatigue tests, software and structural upgrades, and complete avionics systems replacements. In times of crisis, the RCAF has shared with or borrowed from key allies’ complete engines, avionics systems such as radios, targeting pods and weapons to meet operational commitments. The RCAF also acquired 15 spare airframes from the Royal Australian Air Force to extend the lives of its own fleet. This could only be done because of our shared logistics approach and the commonality of spare parts, etc.
Canada is currently a member of an eight-country partnership originally established in the 1990s to develop the F-35. That membership has brought significant advantages, including influence over the aircraft’s capabilities, and preferential pricing. Additionally, this membership has been a key reason why Canadian defence firms, such as Magellan Aerospace in Winnipeg, have been successful in securing contracts to supply parts for the F-35 fleet overall.
As of 2025, 36 Canadian aerospace companies are providing parts for the F-35, collectively winning over US$3.3 billion (C$4.7 billion) in supply contracts. Each F-35 that rolls off the assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, contains an estimated US$2.3 million worth of Canadian-supplied parts integrated into its airframe. Canadian industry will also have further sustainment opportunities related to the Canadian and global F-35 fleet. Opportunities are expected in areas such as airframe and engine depots, training and maintenance of components over the life of the fleet.
The cancellation of Canada’s F-35 purchase would therefore directly affect dozens of companies and by extension the livelihoods of thousands of Canadian workers employed in the F-35 supply chain and create unnecessary logistical challenges. And finally, extensive preparations are well underway specifically to receive the F-35. Hundreds of construction workers at the two main Canadian fighter bases are building infrastructure specifically designed for the F-35. L3 Harris has been selected as a strategic maintenance partner to help maintain the Canadian F-35s in Mirabel, Quebec, saving hundreds of engineering jobs that would have disappeared when the CF-18s retired.
Even more importantly, Canada would lose its links with an already established community of allies and partners already using the F-35 jet. The Royal Norwegian Air Force, for example, has already taken delivery of its 52nd and final aircraft. Other key allies, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and Denmark also have well-established F-35 fleets. The sheer number of F-35 aircraft (1,100+) already means the logistics and maintenance supply chains are well established and will be in operation for the next 30 to 40 years minimum. Orders for the F-35 could eventually exceed 2,000 airframes.
The other fighter in the Canadian Next Generation Fighter competition was the Swedish-made Saab Gripen, which has so far been purchased by several non-NATO countries such as Brazil, South Africa and Thailand, along with three NATO allies and the overall numbers are much smaller – approximately 300. There are some who have suggested Canada should only take delivery of the 16 F-35s that have been paid for but then cancel the remainder of the contract to purchase a second type of fighter like the Gripen. Any realistic examination of the maintenance, logistics and training limitations for a bifurcated approach such as this would prove this option to be logistically unaffordable and operationally untenable in both the short and longer terms.
The overwhelming number of F-35s already in service and still on order compared to the Gripens means the future supply chain for Gripen parts and maintenance will be much more limited compared to the F-35. This makes the options for the future sustainment and/or operational deployment of the F-35 far more realistic and for far longer.
According to Lockheed’s own estimation the F-35 global supply chain involves 1,450 U.S. suppliers and 80 suppliers in 11 other countries. Large components of the jet are made in Texas, Italy, and Japan.
Software & Mission Programming
More so than any of its predecessors, the F-35 is essentially a flying computer. So, software and software logistics is another key issue. The F-35 fighter relies on a proprietary system called the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and the forthcoming successor Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN), a cloud-based networking system that manages a lot of the jet’s systems. ALIS / ODIN is also the system through which the F-35 uploads and downloads Mission Data Files, a collection of planning data and targeting information that’s critical to the jet. The Mission Data File (MDF) is the electronic battle manual for the F-35. It provides known target characteristics for the fusion engine that identifies targets with minimal emissions. It also contains threat emitter models that permit the aircraft to follow a minimum detectability flight path, known as the blue line track. It also runs communication systems and hosts the electronic order of battle.
Some critics have incorrectly asserted that the F-35 aircraft contains a kill switch that would allow the U.S. to control their use. But any remote control or blocking of the F-35A fighter jets through external interventions in the electronics, is simply not possible. RCAF jets would not need foreign consent to use their weapon systems or guided missiles in Canada’s defence. They would be able to do this autonomously, independently and at any time. Canada will receive F-35A aircraft from ongoing production with the same standard (now Block-4) as all other current customers and program partners.
Where national sovereignty is required, such as in the development of Mission Data Files (MDFs) essential to the operation of the aircraft, Canada has already partnered with key allies (United Kingdom and Australia) through the Australia, Canada, UK Reprogramming Lab (ACURL) to ensure sovereign development of any MDFs required to operate the aircraft.
International Cooperation will be a Force Multiplier
The F-35 has already been selected as the preferred option in 18 NATO nations, as well as Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland which delivers significant synergies and efficiencies in all logistics aspects such as armament, sustainment, and maintenance.
In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, RCAF expertise was sought by other allied air forces in the support of their fleets through various NATO working groups, and bilateral or trilateral agreements on common fleets such as the CF-116 Freedom Fighter, CF-104 Starfighter, etc. Our professional reputation and smaller nation status allowed for highly cooperative exchanges. Because of Canada’s protracted acquisition of the F-35, the shoe will now be on the other foot as the RCAF has a chance to learn operational lessons, and best practices in maintenance, logistics and operational support from our more operationally experienced allies.
Why is logistics such a key future aspect
Aircraft maintenance is crucial for ensuring flight safety and reliability, with logistics playing a central role in ensuring the flow of parts, tools, and equipment efficiently. Effective logistics is the key to rapid maintenance responses. If an issue requires a part replacement, having the component readily available or a proficient logistics team that can swiftly source and deliver it is essential. Through logistics, planes not only remain operational more efficiently, but their longer-term serviceability and overall availability are significantly enhanced.
Aviation maintenance logistics is undergoing a significant transformation. Managing logistics involves handling thousands of parts, each with strict regulations and necessary certifications, which makes the process complex and challenging. To address these challenges, industry has already moved towards lean management principles, which focus on reducing waste and increasing efficiency. But this lean approach means parts aren’t always stockpiled in large numbers.
The introduction of digital technologies is also changing the game. Tools like data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are now becoming common in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector. These technologies help predict maintenance needs in advance, allowing for better planning and reducing unexpected downtime. AI uses historical data to predict what parts will be needed in the future, ensuring stocks are kept at optimal levels. This means having the right parts available when needed, without wasting money on excess inventory. It’s a smarter way to manage supplies, making operations leaner and more cost-effective. With over 1,100 airframes already in use, the F-35’s much larger pool of users will allow these analytic systems to be far more accurate and reliable. The failsafe is still then being able to borrow from other allies, if and as needed.
Sidebar: Canadian Suppliers in the F-35 Program
Canada has been an industrial partner in the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) program since 1997, which allowed Canadian companies to compete for and win subcontract work on the F-35’s development and production. As a result, at various times more than 110 Canadian firms have participated in the F-35 supply chain, delivering high-tech components and services. These contracts have spanned the gamut of aerospace manufacturing, electronics, software, and tooling, engaging suppliers across multiple provinces.
Some key examples include:
• Magellan Aerospace (Winnipeg, MB & Toronto, ON) – Builds major structural components such as the F-35A’s horizontal tail assemblies (contract valued around $1.5 billion), and produces engine and lift system parts for the F-35B variant. Magellan has been involved since the program’s early days and delivers about half of all F-35A tail assemblies
• Avcorp Industries (Delta, BC) – Sole-source supplier of the outboard wing assembly for the F-35C (carrier variant) under subcontract to BAE Systems. This provides a long-term workshare building specialized wing structures unique to the naval carrier model
• Héroux-Devtek (Montreal, QC & Kitchener, ON) – Produces landing gear uplock assemblies for all variants of the F-35 and assembles components for the jet’s Power Thermal Management System (cooling system), in partnership with Honeywell. These parts are installed on every F-35 airframe
• CMC Electronics (Montreal, QC) – Supplies advanced avionics components, such as optical transceivers used in the F-35’s communication and targeting systems
• Celestica (Toronto, ON) – Manufactures printed circuit boards for the F-35’s power and thermal management controllers (supplied via Honeywell’s Canadian division)
• Composites Atlantic (Lunenburg, NS) – Fabricates composite fuselage skins and weapons bay inserts for the F-35, under subcontracts to Northrop Grumman
• GasTOPS (Ottawa, ON) – Designs specialized sensors for the F-35’s Pratt & Whitney F135 engine to monitor engine health, as well as similar sensors for the vertical lift fan system on the F-35B
• Software & Tooling Firms – e.g. NGRAIN (Vancouver, BC) developed software for the F-35’s low-observable maintenance system, and Handling Specialties (Burlington, ON) produced custom assembly tooling for F-35 wing and final assembly lines
This widespread involvement means the F-35 program touches many regions of Canada. It has been credited with creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs well before Canada even ordered any jets. By 2013, there were already 70+ Canadian companies with F-35 contracts totalling $450 million, and a pipeline of about $10 billion in potential opportunities over the program’s life. Today, the government estimates acquiring and sustaining the F-35 will contribute about $425 million CAD to GDP annually and roughly 3,300 jobs per year (direct and indirect) over a 25-year period. These jobs include manufacturing roles, engineering and R&D positions, and long-term maintenance and support work for the fleet. All these companies have built up specialized capabilities and infrastructure to meet the F-35’s challenging requirements.
