Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Without getting into too much depth and detail, I wish to assure the members that our program for the purchase of the F-35s remains on track. So far we have seen nothing that would indicate any significant issues.
I think what the member needs to know, Mr. Chair, is that we're talking about apples and oranges. Each country has its own separate and distinct formula for what it requires from the manufacturer, and that is factored into the purchase price, which is then factored into budgeting. Our situation includes not only the cost of the aircraft but also the associated weapons systems, supporting infrastructure, initial spares, training simulators, and contingency funds.
Regarding the weapons system issue, I too spoke with the Secretary of Defence of Norway. In Europe they are in a different world and they require different armaments, and so forth, compared to what we are looking at. There are all these disparities, so it's very difficult to make a dollar-for-dollar comparison, but at some point in time we'll be able to articulate all these issues more fully, Mr. Chair.