Independent report says $9 billion may not be enough to buy 65 F-35s

OTTAWA – A long-awaited KPMG report on the F-35 purchase says National Defence did not build a big enough financial cushion into the plan.

It says the $9 billion the department set aside may not be enough to pay for the planned 65 jets.

The report says uncertainties in the oft-delayed program could force the air force to cut the number of planes to 55 — or force the Conservatives to up the purchase amount by between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion.

The Conservatives have said the $9 billion figure is carved in stone.

A series of reports were released Wednesday by the Public Works secretariat overseeing the replacement of the air force’s current fleet of CF-18s.

One of the reports says the lifetime cost of owning the Lockheed Martin-built F-35s is estimated at $45.8 billion.

But the figures are based on a number of variables, including the notion that other allied nations will buy as many jets as they’ve promised.