So…. Now what? The process is still far from over but what is left is mostly mundane and bureaucratic. Stuff like finalizing costs, delivery dates, etc. Hopefully, Canada can now focus it procurement efforts on revitalizing the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces. With fighters and frigates out of the way; it’s high time we look into replacing our submarines, MRTTs, and other. Recent lessons from the war in Ukraine has also made it clear that UCAVs are the future of warfare. Canada best catch up. Was all this for nothing? No. I do not believe so. Even though Canada is still choosing the F-35, it is doing so in a much more rational way. We have taken the time to evaluate our needs. Taken a clear look at the options. We have arrived at a decision removed from political whim. Ultimately, Canada is getting a lot more aircraft than initially planned. We are also getting later build F-35s. Now, more of th...
I wonder if there would be so much coverage or knowledge of the good and bad days when the F-15
ReplyDeleteExactly Paul, LM put the cart before the horse.
ReplyDeleteThere was quite a lot of coverage when the Gripen's first prototype crashed in 1989. Luckily, the pilot had a narrow escape.
Remember the second launch of Ariane 1, it was a failure too.
Testing that's why you make prototypes because you know accidents happen.
I believe that LM soon will make the following anouncement :
ReplyDelete"The needed fix that followed the F-35 mishap on Eglin will actually make the aircraft considerably lighter as the systems that were intended to supress / extinguish clearly did not work and thus can be removed. Another good news is that the F-35 now can be advertised and sold internationally as "Battle Proven" as it without any doubts been under fire...",
Nice Job!
ReplyDeleteI guess it is not like an airline, where you get to pick your engine. This engine appears not to work, I will take the rolls Royce or the GE?
I believe the engine is a Pratt & Whitney
ReplyDeleteThat's the big difference between the JSF program and earlier ones like the F-15, etc... When an issue is found in the prototype stage, you simply incorporate the fix into the finalized design.
ReplyDeleteThanks to concurrency, an entire fleet of over 100 aircraft will likely need to be recalled and refurbished to accommodate this fix. This process needs to be repeated for every new issue. Every bulkhead crack, every oil leak, every software bug... They all need to be fixed retroactively. Remember, these are considered production aircraft, not prototypes.