Defence officials catalogued pros, cons of F-35 competitors

The Swedish-built Saab Gripen required minimal maintenance and was considered “fairly stealthy” thanks to its small size, though there were concerns whether it could operate alongside U.S. fighter aircraft.

The Dassault Rafale was fast, manoeuvrable and had above-average range, but it also featured a clunky cockpit and the French company couldn’t say whether the jet’s two engines could operate in the cold Canadian north.

The Boeing Super Hornet was a solid, proven aircraft Canadian military pilots and mechanics would have little difficulty getting used to, but it was seen as a fall-back option at best.

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