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The federal government has issued a request for bids for new Canadian Forces jets even as some industry officials continue to raise concerns the process is tilted to favour the F-35 stealth fighter.

The request for proposals for the $19 billion project went to aerospace firms on Tuesday. Eighty-eight aircraft will be purchased to replace the current fleet of CF-18s operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

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At this point four aircraft are to be considered. Those include two U.S.-built aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35 and the Boeing Super Hornet, and two European planes, Airbus’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab’s Gripen.

Bids must be submitted by the spring of 2020, said Andre Fillion, Public Services and Procurement Canada’s assistant deputy minister of defence and marine procurement.

“We’ve established conditions that we believe allow all eligible suppliers to provide bids and compete to win,” he said Tuesday.