By , the New Fighter Aircraft competitors were short-listed to just three aircraft types: the F and the two F offerings. The F, F, and the Tornado were rejected due to their high purchase price, while Dassault dropped out of the competition. The FL combined the systems and twin-engine layout of the F that Air Command favored with a lighter land-based equipment setup that significantly improved performance.
Northrop, the primary contractor for the FL version, had not built the aircraft by the time of the NFA program, waiting on successful contracts before doing so. While Northrop offered the best industrial offset package, it would only "pay off" if other FL orders were forthcoming, something the Department of National Defence DND was not willing to bet on.
The F almost entered Canadian service through the backdoor due to the Iranian Revolution. In the aftermath of the revolution, the United States cut off all military supplies to Iran, which meant that the Iranians' new fleet of Fs would potentially be rendered unflyable due to a lack of spares.
The Canadians offered to purchase them at a steeply discounted price. Negotiations ended before a deal was reached as it was revealed that Canadian involvement was crucial in the smuggling of American embassy personnel out of the new Islamic Republic. The order included 98 single-seat variants and 40 dual-seat variants, for a total of purchased, plus 20 options which were not exercised. Navy; two engines for reliability considered essential for conducting Arctic sovereignty and over-the-water patrols , an excellent radar set, while being considerably more affordable than the F and the F A total of CFs, consisting of 98 single-seat and 40 dual-seat models, were delivered.
The most visible difference between a CF and a U. F is the 0. This spotlight is mounted in the gun loading door on the port side of the aircraft. Some CFs have the light temporarily removed, but the window is always in place.
