Chair, I must begin by just qualifying my response by confirming that the area of expertise I have is in force design, understanding the threats and vulnerabilities against Canada. Although this is a specific question to one of our platforms, we do look at, holistically, the capabilities that we need and seamless transition between fleets. We have the assurances, through various mitigation measures, that the F-18s we have, the new ones that are coming on line to mitigate a gap, as well as the completion of the final step for the next generation of aircraft, will assure that we have seamless coverage for the defence of Canada and our NORAD missions.
On March 30th, 2022. See this statement in context.