BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

the CF-18 Hornet really the best aircraft for Canada over the last 30-odd years?  It's hard to imagine the RCAF without it, but the F/A-18 might not have been the best choice at the time.  The truth is that the F/A-18 was merely the "last fighter standing" after several others were dismissed as being unsuitable or too expensive.  Looking back one wonders how things might  have been. Canada's "new fighter aircraft" (NFA) was developed to find a single airframe to replace both the CF-101B used for interceptor duties and the CF-104 used for ground attack (despite the F-104's intended use as an interceptor) and nuclear deterrence in Western Europe.  138 aircraft were planned, with provisions to order more if needed.  Plans to replace the CF-116 (CF-5) Freedom Fighter with the same aircraft was postponed indefinitely. Panavia Tornados in CFB Goose Bay. In 1965, Canada had joined up with Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands to ...

Thanks to European austerity measures, along with a need for lower-GDP nations for new fighter aircraft, there seems to be few surplus fighter jets hitting the market lately. Low mileage...  Only $61 million O.B.O.  Serious offers only. The Eurofighter Typhoon, especially, seems to be flooding the market right now.  With the Tranche 3 version on the way, some countries appear to be looking to offload the older Tranche 1 model. Germany is  reported  to be looking at Eastern Europe.   Spain has offered  some of its surplus fleet to Peru, while Eurofighter partner EADS has offered  used Typhoons to Switzerland  in lieu of the Gripen NG. South African Gripens, bought for the 2010 World Cup...  Then mothballed. In more depressing news, South Africa is said to considering selling part of its  fleet of Saab Gripens .  South Africa has had issues with its Gripen fleet, as it lacks both the  financial resources ...