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The GAO report concludes: “There are risks facing the program which may result in additional cost growth and schedule delays.”

The federal government quietly decided in the fall to spend $400 million to extend the life of Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets past 2020, which is when they were slated to be retired. The move allowed the government to put off making a decision on a replacement aircraft until after this year’s election.

The government initially announced to great fanfare in 2010 that it was purchasing 65 F-35s to replace the CF-18s. But the plan became mired in controversy amid questions about the actual cost of the stealth fighters and whether they would be able to do the jobs required of them.

The first F-35s were supposed to be delivered to Canada this year. But the government put the entire project on hold at the end of 2012 after Canadians discovered the planes would cost more than $45 billion to own and operate over the next three decades. The government had initially pegged the cost at $16 billion.

Canada currently has six CF-18s patrolling against Russian forces actions in Lithuania and the Baltic Sea. Six more CF-18s have been conducting bombing missions against Islamic State (ISIL) forces in Iraq.

lberthiaume@ottawacitizen.com

Twitter.com/leeberthiaume