Article content

Procurement Canada has provided aerospace firms a new draft version of the requirements for Canada’s next generation fighter jet fleet.

Some changes have been made in the draft request for proposals document to deal with concerns raised by the companies, according to federal government sources.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Some changes made to Canadian fighter jet requirements as new document sent to companies Back to video

The requirements for the new Canadian fighter jet originally put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions, according to federal government procurement documents obtained by Postmedia.

While the Liberal government had been highlighting the need to buy the jets to protect Canadian airspace and meet the country’s commitments to the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command, the procurement criteria provided additional weight to those aircraft that can excel at ground attack for overseas operations.

That criteria was seen to favour Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth jet, say those industry representatives allied with Lockheed’s rivals in the upcoming $19 billion competition. The evaluation criteria also had less emphasis on sustainability, another plus for the F-35 which has been dogged with high maintenance bills, they added.