BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

Lose the USAF roundel...  Keep the teeth. The A-10 Thunderbolt II (aka: the "Warthog") is nearly universally accepted as the best close air support aircraft ever built.  Originally intended for use a "tank-buster" for use against a Soviet ground army in the Cold War, the Warthog has gone on to assert its usefulness over Afghanistan, Iraq, and other inhospitable environments. The key to the A-10's success has always been its rugged simplicity.  It is almost the antithesis to aircraft like the F-22 and F-35.   It eschews stealth design, bleeding edge technology, and supersonic speed.  Instead, it flies slowly, shrugs off small arms fire, and carries a big freakin' gun.  It is the airplane equivalent to Wolverine.  It is simply the best at what it does, but what it does ain't pretty. Yet...  For some reason...   The USAF wants the A-10 gone . Ostensibly, the USAF's rationale for retiring the A-10 is to save money.  That money is needed for mor

Ugh... The 2015 election season is slowly meandering forth from its cave, hungry and looking for sustenance.  Canada's three major federal parties have slowly started revealing their platforms for the upcoming election.  To no one's surprise, military spending has yet to garner any attention. Diving into each of these parties' websites reveals very little into how much attention they would pay to Canada's long neglected military. The Tories: The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) makes little mention of its plans for Canada's defense on its website.  It does, however, spend an entire page on " Keeping our Streets and Communities Safe ".  Apparently, the CPC is more concerned about an attack from within. If one digs around, the following blurb is found: By rebuilding our Canadian Forces and adopting a new, values-based foreign policy, the Government is protecting Canada’s sovereignty and advancing our national interests on the world stage.