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OTTAWA, May 26 (Reuters) - Canada, which has repeatedly putoff a decision on replacing its ageing CF-18 fighter jets, couldbe in a position to order a fleet of new planes by 2020, thedefense department said on Thursday.
In a guide to defense firms posted online, the Department ofNational Defence said it hoped to award the contract between2018 and 2020 and said the final jets should be deliveredbetween 2026 and 2036.
A department spokeswoman said the guide was preliminary andthe dates could easily change.
Among the possible contenders are Lockheed-Martin Corp's F-35, Boeing Co's F/A-18E/F fighters, DassaultAviation SA's Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon -jointly made by BAE Systems PLC, Finmeccanica SpA and Airbus Group.
Canada's ruling Liberals won an election last October on apromise not to buy F-35s because the planes were too expensive.Since taking power, though, government officials have been muchless definitive about ruling out the plane from any futurecompetition.
The previous Conservative government announced in 2010 itwould buy 65 F-35 jets, but abandoned the plan in 2012 after aprobe found officials had deliberately downplayed the costs andrisks of the deal.
The Conservatives subsequently restarted the competition.But the Liberals scrapped this effort upon taking power, sayingthey would begin the whole process again.
As the process became more protracted, Ottawa announced in2014 it would extend the lifespan of the CF-18s to 2025 from2020. (Reporting by David Ljunggren and Leah Schnurr; Editing by DanGrebler)