OTTAWA- The country's top military commander says 65 is the minimum number of stealth fighters the Canadian military requires to carry out both domestic and overseas missions.
Gen. Walt Natynczyk, the chief of defence staff, emphasized the point Thursday during testimony before the House of Commons defence committee on the military's future readiness.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay, responding to opposition questions Wednesday in the Commons, said the air force asked for 65 of the expensive and highly advanced F-35 fighters.
Internal air force documents show the military is worried about the number of the radar-evading planes, especially if some are lost to accidents over their anticipated 30-year lifespan.
Liberal defence critic John McKay questioned whether unmanned aerial vehicles could fill the gap, but Natynczyk says he doesn't believe the technology is mature enough to allow for that.
The general wouldn't say what number of fighters would be comfortable, but when Canada signed a memorandum for development of the F-35 it indicated it was buying 80 planes.
