F-18 vs. F-35 Fact Sheet & Lockheed Martin begs for a competition.

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via Macleans

The company building the F-35 fighter jet says all it wants is a chance to compete in an open and fair competition to be the contractor to provide the next generation of airplanes to Canada’s military.
The possibility of being part of that process is murky, with the Liberal government having promised during last year’s election campaign that it would not buy the F-35, but vowing to hold an open competition to replace Canada’s fleet of aging CF-18s.
Further complicating matters is a published report that the Liberals have decided to purchase Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet — a direct competitor being built by Lockheed Martin — as an interim measure to buy time for landing on a long-term fix.
Jack Crisler, Lockheed Martin’s vice-president of F-35 business development and strategic integration, said the company plans to support the Canadian procurement process, but believes its plane can compete with and beat the Super Hornet for any contract.
When asked if the company would sue the federal government if blocked from competing for the fighter jet contract, Crisler said the company would look at all of its options.
“Right now, all we want to do is to be able to compete,” Crisler said in a telephone interview.
“So if we get told that we’re not allowed to compete, then we’ll go and evaluate all of our alternatives at that point. But right now all we’re asking to do is be able to compete in a fair, open, transparent and requirements-based competition for the replacement of the CF-18s.”

Another rigged contest where capabilities that won't be available till 2030 are simulated and the price is estimated with a 5000 plane production run?

I hope the Canadians don't fall for this bullshit, corruption and corporate malfeasance.

Sidenote: The risk of a lawsuit seems easy to side step.  Get the interim buy done and then just keep kicking the can of competition down the road.  Wait till the plane is in its full combat configuration before you even take a look at it.  2025 for Blk 4?  And that's assuming no more delays!  No more pushing weapons testing right!  If past is prologue then we won't see full combat capability till 2030.  Canada will be golden and there will be little the F-35 program can do.  If they try and yank production of parts in the country then they'll be shooting themselves in the foot!  Setting it up in another country and then certifying it with the DoD etc...will take months, maybe years. That sword is two sided and will cut both ways.  Canada is immune because of the very system setup to keep them in the program.