Hobby Master 1/72 F-35A Lightning II CAF (mock-up) Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa 2010

The F-35 has become a political football in Canada. In 2010 the Conservative Prime Minister announced the government would purchase 65 F-35s by 2020 to replace the CF-18. To sell this decision a wooden mock-up of the F-35 was made and displayed at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa. In 2012 an Auditor General’s report stated the costs were very understated and the purchase was halted. In the 2015 election the Liberals promised to cancel the order and ever since the F-35 has been in limbo even in 2022.