A maple leaf rises over Texas, but Ottawa stays quiet below.

Above the flat, sprawling landscape of Fort Worth, Texas, a Canadian maple leaf rose into the sky on Wednesday. It was painted on the tail of a fighter jet—the first F-35 with Canadian markings to fly, and the first new model of fighter aircraft to carry those markings in forty-four years . The flight lasted roughly ninety minutes, witnessed by a small crowd of aviation enthusiasts who gathered with cameras and quiet anticipation . Sometimes the most significant moments arrive without fanfare, slipping into the sky while the world looks elsewhere.

The aircraft, designated CF-35A Lightning II, took off from Lockheed Martin's final assembly plant in Fort Worth. It carries the word "Canada" behind the cockpit and a maple leaf on its tail . The only official acknowledgment came from Lockheed Martin Canada's social media account, which posted simply: "The first CF-35A took to the skies for the first time today" . When media sought further details, the company directed inquiries to the Department of National Defence. The Royal Canadian Air Force confirmed the flight occurred but issued no statement of its own .

That quiet stands in contrast to the milestone itself. Canada agreed in 2023 to purchase eighty-eight F-35s to replace its aging fleet of CF-18 Hornets, a deal valued at approximately nineteen billion Canadian dollars . The CF-18s, which Canada first received in 1982, have served for more than four decades . The F-35, with its stealth capabilities, advanced sensors, and network connectivity, represents a generational leap—one that military planners have argued is necessary for Canada to meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO .

Yet the program remains under review. Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered an examination of the purchase in March 2025, amid trade tensions with the United States . Canada has made a legal and financial commitment to the first sixteen aircraft, but whether to proceed with the remaining seventy-two—or pursue alternatives such as Sweden's Saab Gripen—remains undecided . The Royal Canadian Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, has told Parliament that the F-35 is "the only fifth-generation advanced technology fighter aircraft available to Canada" and the only one capable of countering the most advanced threats being developed by Russia and China . Political considerations, however, extend beyond performance specifications.

There is also an industrial dimension. More than 110 Canadian companies have received over 5.2 billion Canadian dollars in F-35 contracts, with components manufactured in six provinces . Each aircraft includes more than three million dollars in Canadian-made parts, including horizontal tail assemblies produced by Magellan Aerospace in Winnipeg . This means that even as Ottawa weighs its options, Canadian industry is already embedded in the supply chain—a relationship that carries its own weight in the calculus.

For now, the first Canadian F-35s will remain in the United States. The initial aircraft will be used to train Royal Canadian Air Force pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona . The first jets are expected to arrive on Canadian soil in 2028, with initial operational capability planned for 2029 . The fleet is expected to remain in service beyond 2060 . Between the first flight over Texas and the first patrol over Canadian airspace, there are years of infrastructure, training, and decisions yet to be completed.

Canada's first CF-35A completed its maiden flight in Fort Worth, Texas, marking the first time in 44 years that a new fighter model has carried Canadian markings. The flight comes as Ottawa continues reviewing its eighty-eight-aircraft F-35 purchase, with only the first sixteen currently committed.

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Sources: CBC News, CTV News, CP24, The News International, Air Force Technology, Defence Blog, 19FortyFive, Radio-Canada, Lockheed Martin Canada