BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

I figured it was high time I updated the layout a little bit. Hopefully this new design will prove easier to read as I found the ads were getting a little intrusive in the old setup. Let me know what you think!

What a long, strange trip the story of the F-35 has been...  And it still ain't over. Originally conceived as a lightweight and affordable replacement to the F-16 and F/A-18, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) would soon grow (both figuratively and literally) to become one of the most controversial military procurements in modern history.  Beset with cost overruns , delays , and defects ; the F-35 program has nonetheless soldiered on and is now officially in service with several air forces around the world and is being produced in large numbers . Canada's relationship with the JSF has been a turbulent one.  The Harper Government announced the purchase of 65 Lockheed Martin F-35As back in 2010 , only to backtrack on that announcement two years later .  The F-35 purchase remained in limbo until 2015, when a newly elected Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would conduct an open competition to replace Canada's CF-18 fleet. Back in 2012, the F-35 program was politi...

Note:  I do know that there is no shortage of Coronavirus coverage and that some may come here looking for an escape.  Please understand that the current predicament CHANGES EVERYTHING.  Whatever happens from this point forward will be effected by the effects of COVID-19.   My experience a frontline healthcare worker gives me a certain perspective on this situation, one that I believe should be shared.   I promise to get back to talking about fighter jets very soon.  I typically take about a week or so research a post, another to write and edit.  I have one article "in the can" with another in the works and a few more in the rough early stages.  They will all be posted in the coming weeks after I find time to rework them to reflect the pandemic and its effect on socio-economic policies around the world.     world war   noun To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In  ...

I really did not want to talk about the coronavirus (more accurately named COVID-19).  Unfortunately, the current pandemic is so significant that it simply cannot be avoided.  COVID-19 will have global repercussions for years to come. My "day job" as a health-care professional does allow me a certain perspective on the effects of the virus itself, and I would be remiss if I did not pass some (of that information along as well as offer some analysis in how it may affect Canada's Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP). First off, we need to discuss the virus itself, why it is such a big deal, and what all of us can do to diminish its impact. THE VIRUS The term "coronavirus" is technically correct, but vague.  It is like pointing at a F-15E Strike Eagle and calling it an "airplane".   Coronaviruses themselves are a classification of many different type of viruses, of which COVID-19 is simply one of many.  More specifically  the disease ...

Everything looked so promising for Boeing just a few years ago. In 2017, the Liberal government came this close  to purchasing 18 Boeing Super Hornets in order to plug a "capability gap".  Such a move would have almost certainly have given a leg up on its competition to replace the CF-18 fleet as a whole.  Boeing could have easily turned that "interim" order of 18 fighters into 88, keeping its St. Louis factory busy and scoring a much needed win against  Lockheed Martin. Instead of taking the easy win, Boeing decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory . We all know the story by now.  Boeing used its influence with Trump White House to impose massive tariffs on Bombardier's promising but troubled C-Series.  This decision was eventually overturned , but by then the damage was already done.  Bombardier had little option but to hand over the C-Series to Airbus and has since announced plans to exit commercial aviation altogether . Needl...

[Note:  I apologize for my recent absence here.  I was resting up in preparation for the next two years, which will likely be a tumultuous time.  Moving forward, I will attempt bi-weekly updates at the bare minimum.  I may also attempt a few format changes (shorter posts more often, more opinion pieces, etc.] Okay...  Here we go. This may come as a surprise to some, but Canada has still not selected a fighter to replace the aging CF-18.   The good news, however, is that we are getting closer.  Better still, the winning fighter design will not be decided by default, as Saab and Boeing are still very much in the running. Before we go into detail about that, let us first pour one out for the departed Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale.  Both of these fighters' manufacturers decided that they did not want to play a game they could not win . That leaves the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the ...