‘The only choice’: Defence Department going with Boeing to replace aging Aurora fleet

OTTAWA — The federal government is buying at least 14 Boeing surveillance planes from the United States to replace the aging CP-140 Aurora fleet, cabinet ministers announced Thursday. The deal costs more than $10.3 billion in total, including US$5.9 billion for the jets themselves, and the planes are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. “These aircraft are not just planes. They are complex weapons systems. And the Poseidon has a proven capability with a track record of success,” Defence Minister Bill Blair said at a news conference in Ottawa. The Aurora fleet, already more than four decades old,…