OTTAWA - The federal government is flying into the next phase of its evaluation of new fighter jets.
Public Works officials confirm all five manufacturers hoping to replace Canada's fleet of old CF-18 fighters have given their input on the design of an extensive and detailed questionnaire about the capabilities and specifications of their planes.

"The (National Fighter Procurement) Secretariat is now considering that feedback and aims to distribute a revised questionnaire on capabilities as soon as possible," Public Works officials said in an e-mail.

If all goes to schedule, the feds will send a whole package of questions to the companies on Friday.

In addition to Lockheed Martin's F-35, other possible replacements for the CF-18 are Boeing's Super Hornet, the French-made Rafale, the Saab Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The feds are also working on developing a separate questionnaire for manufacturers to delve into the costs of their aircraft.