By James Careless

COVID-19 will not affect Boeing’s ability to build the Super Hornet for Canada, should the company win the Future Fighter Capability Project procurement process. That was the message Boeing delivered during a June 25, 2020 Webex media call, touting the company’s $5.3 billion overall contribution to the Canadian economy in 2019.

“We evaluate the impact of the Coronavirus on our operations in a daily manner, so that we can find ways to adapt to any new challenges that pop up as a result of the pandemic and meet our contractual obligations,” said Jim Barnes, Boeing’s Business Development Director for Canada

Defense, Space & Security. “Supporting our customers and delivering on our commitments is now even more important than it’s ever been.”

Barnes asserted that the Super Hornet would be an extremely cost-effective option for Canada; both in terms of transitioning from the existing Boeing CF-18 fleet and per-hour operating expenses. “The cost per flight hour for the Super Hornet, as measured by U.S. Department of Defense metrics, is approximately US$18,500 per hour,” he said, “while the U.S. other competitor is at about US$45,000 per hour.” Given that the Canadian government is deep in debt due to unexpected COVID-19 expenses, this could be a compelling fact in the Super Hornet’s favour.