On 22 October 2026, the Royal Canadian Air Force accepted its first two CF-35A fighters, taking formal possession of the aircraft at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. The service publicly confirmed the milestone the following day, marking a significant moment in a programme that has been more than four years in the making.
The occasion matters beyond the symbolism. Canada signed its agreement to acquire 88 F-35As in January 2023, after entering negotiations in March 2022, and the path to that contract was long. According to AeroTime, both Airbus, offering the Eurofighter, and Dassault, offering the Rafale, withdrew from the competition over interoperability and intelligence-sharing requirements, leaving the F-35 and the Saab Gripen as the final two eligible contenders.
Two CF-35A Jets, One Uncertain Order
The pair handed over on 22 October form part of a firm commitment for 16 aircraft, not the full programme of record figure of 88. Aerospace Global News reports that the opening eight CF-35As are expected to be delivered to Luke AFB across 2026 and 2027, where they will remain on American soil to conduct pilot training before any return to Canada.
Barely a month before the handover ceremony, the lead CF-35A, carrying production number AR-1, lifted off from Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth on its first flight in September 2026. AeroTime notes that the new jets are intended to succeed the CF-18 Hornets, which have underpinned Canadian fighter capability for several decades.
The RCAF marked the moment on social media: "The RCAF received its first two CF-35As yesterday at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. The future of air and space power is built on more than equipment alone."
The Review That Hangs Over the Programme
The political context surrounding the acquisition is considerably more complicated than the delivery ceremony implies. Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of the F-35 purchase against a backdrop of strained relations with Washington, and AeroTime reports that Ottawa is weighing up a mixed fleet incorporating both F-35s and Saab Gripens. A possible acquisition of 72 Gripen E aircraft is said to be under consideration, with workshare talks between the government and Saab continuing.
That potential Gripen number stands out given the existing F-35 contract covers 88 airframes. Aerospace Global News reported that CBC News, citing sources in June 2026, indicated Canada would still consider between 72 and 88 F-35s even were it to pursue Gripens alongside them. The outlet also reports that Canada has quietly begun making advance payments towards the following tranche of 14 aircraft, a sign that the programme is pressing ahead at an operational level regardless of where the political review lands.
We have been following the uncertainty around the order since it emerged. Our earlier piece on the first delivery and the review of the full 88-aircraft purchase sets out the political context in detail.
Training at Luke, Then Cold Lake
For the foreseeable future, the CF-35As will remain under North American skies. The opening eight jets will be based at Luke AFB to carry out pilot conversion training, with the main delivery schedule to Canada running from 2028 through to 2032. Aerospace Global News reports that 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta is set to receive its first aircraft towards the end of 2028.
Fighter facilities are being prepared at two Canadian bases: Cold Lake in Alberta and Bagotville in Quebec, according to AeroTime. Canada targets Initial Operational Capability between 2029 and 2030, with Full Operational Capability projected for the 2032 to 2034 window. The fleet is expected to remain in service beyond 2060, meaning decisions taken now will shape Canadian air power well into the second half of the century.
Canada's F-35 commitments are bound up with its NORAD and NATO obligations, which gives the programme a weight that extends beyond domestic politics. Pulling back significantly from the F-35 order would have implications for interoperability with allies, particularly the United States, at a time when that relationship is already under strain.
What the Delivery Settles and What It Does Not
Taking delivery of two aircraft is not the same as locking in 88. The advance payments on the next 14 jets suggest the programme has momentum that political reviews find difficult to stop, but the parallel Gripen conversations mean the shape of Canada's future fighter fleet is genuinely unresolved.
The jets themselves are real, the training pipeline is starting, and the bases are being prepared. Whether the final number is 88 F-35As, a smaller batch alongside Gripens, or something else entirely depends on a review whose outcome has not been announced. Readers tracking the F-35 programme can search our coverage of Lockheed Martin using the Manufacturer Search.
The Bottom Line
Canada's first CF-35As are a tangible commitment to a programme that has been years in the making. The delivery at Luke AFB on 22 October 2026 starts the clock on a training and basing process that runs to at least 2034. However, the political review ordered by Prime Minister Carney, combined with active Gripen negotiations, means the scope of the eventual Canadian F-35 fleet remains an open question. The next significant marker will be what Ottawa decides about the broader order structure, and whether the advance payments on the next 14 aircraft continue on schedule.
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