CF-18s still waiting for advanced missiles used by U.S. to destroy flying objects

Photo: The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media Sunday, February 12, 2023, in Ottawa before boarding a flight to the Yukon after ordering the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

More than two years after they were ordered, Canadian fighter jets still have not been armed with the type of missiles used by the American military to bring down four airborne objects in recent weeks.

The U.S. government first approved the potential sale of 50 AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and advanced radars to Canada in June 2020 as part of a broader effort to upgrade Canada's aging CF-18s.

Those upgrades include modernizing the weaponry and combat systems, which Canada's auditor general warned had become outdated in a 2018 report.

Yet the Department of National Defence has confirmed that the CF-18s have not yet been armed with the missiles.

The U.S. military has used AIM-9Xs to take down four objects flying over North America in the past two weeks, including one over central Yukon on Saturday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the decision to have an American fighter jet taking the object down was based on who had the best chance of destroying it at the moment.