BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

With Canadian government recently making public its "Industry Consultation Questionnaire", we may now be in the home stretch in finding out what will eventually replace the CF-18. With that, I thought it would prudent to re-visit each of the fighters vying for the position of Canada's next fighter.  A lot has changed since I wrote the blurbs in the right-hand column.  Also, the questionnaire gives us better context into how the government will decide. In the upcoming weeks, I will be updating the pages that focus on the five fighters.  This includes the F-35, Super Hornet, Gripen, Typhoon, and Rafale.  Fans of the F-15SE, Arrow, and others have my apologies, but there are not  being considered.  (Sorry, eh?) Each post will follow a specific format: History A lot can be learned by examining an aircraft's history.  How it came to be developed, what roles it has taken, and how successful it has been both in sales and in combat. ...

Just a reminder that I am simply a guy who blogs in his spare time. Yes, I am an "amateur" but I don't pretend to be anything else.  I just want to see Canada select the best multirole fighter for its needs.  Like most of you, my life is devoted mostly to family and work commitments.  I spend what little time I have to devote this site towards producing content.  As such, I  don't spend much time in the comment section.  For the most part, I prefer to leave that to all of you to discuss things as you see fit.  (I do spent plenty of time on the Facebook group, however, please join us if you haven't!) Unfortunately, trolling and other foul behavior is a fact of life in today's internet age. Those who can't form a cohesive  and intelligent  argument resort to name-calling and other tactics.  While this never actually wins anybody over, these people are empowered by the attention.   So don't give them any.   Ignore them, block...

No...  Not that. It would seem that the CF-18 is not the only RCAF asset that is being tasked with flying past its prime. (Unlike the wonderful and evergreen Anne Murray) There ya go. Recent news reports have stated that the RCAF's fabled demonstration team will likely continue flying the venerable CT-114 Tutor until the year 2030 .  This would put the 60's era jet trainers approaching their 70th birthday by the time they retire.  Not as a design, but as actual 70-year-old airframes, as the last Tutor was built in 1966.  Even now, the Snowbirds can be considered ancient artifacts (apologies to any of my readers over the age of 50).   There is no shame in this, as the CT-114 Tutor has outlasted the CF-101 Voodoo, and is well on track to outlasting the CF-18 as well.   Indeed, the 431 Demonstration Squadron could be considered a "Heritage Flight".  As Professor Jones would say: From 1961 to 2000, the CT-114 Tutor served ...

I must apologize for my recent lack of posts. I was hoping to pick up the pace recently, but personal family matters have completely derailed any attempts for me to sit down at a keyboard. Things are finally settling down now. In the upcoming weeks I hope to revisit the fighter candidates using context from the Federal Government's Industry Consultation Questionnaire .  I will also examine the future of the Snowbirds, take a closer look at " cheap and cheerfu l" and hopefully much, much more. Please stay tuned!

And so it begins...  Again... The Canadian Government has taken its first step towards (hopefully) restarting its quest to find a suitable replacement for the CF-18. The " CF-18 REPLACEMENT INDUSTRY CONSULTATION QUESTIONNAIRE " was answered by five aerospace companies (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Saab, Eurofighter, and Dassault) regarding their respected fighters. Earlier reports that the Canadian government may sole-source an "interim" Super Hornet buy were met with sharp criticism (not from me) that doing so would break a Liberal election promise to hold an fair and open fighter competition.  Selecting a sole-source Super Hornet as an interim solution would make it all but inevitable for a full purchase.  Even if a different fighter was selected afterward, the additional costs of operating a diversified fighter fleet would cause financial stress. [NOTE:  I believe the interim Super Hornet idea may have been intentionally "leaked" to gauge reactio...