Canada Signals Interest in GCAP Tempest as It Reconsiders Its Fighter Fleet

Canada’s defense minister said Ottawa is interested in learning more about GCAP and the Tempest after talks in Tokyo, signaling a potential observer role while Ottawa weighs a split fighter buy that could mix F-35s with another type. GCAP offers long range and heavy payload suited to Canada’s vast terrain, but industrial participation and development timelines pose hurdles, likely delaying entry beyond 2035; Saab Gripen E remains a contender, and an off-the-shelf purchase could be more probable in the near term given U.S.–Canada tensions.