DND posts Facebook photo of Super Hornets to tout Australian fighter purchase
OTTAWA — The Canadian Forces social-media team might have been flying high over the federal government’s plans to buy second-hand jets from Australia, but an errant photo of Boeing’s controversial Super Hornet fighter has brought it crashing back to Earth.
The photo in question was posted to the military’s Facebook page Tuesday after the Liberals confirmed they were buying the Australian jets instead of new Super Hornets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing Co.
“We’ve announced our intention to pursue the purchase of F-18 aircraft from Australia,” the post says. “These aircraft will supplement our current fleet until the future replacement fleet is fully operational.”
But rather than the 30-year-old F-18s that Canada is planning to buy, the picture depicts the very planes the government has rejected: Super Hornets, which Australia bought from Boeing in 2010 and will continue to operate for the foreseeable future.