BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

On April 9th, 2019, a Japanese F-35 Lightning II went missing while flying over the Pacific .  Not much is known so far other than the pilot signaled the need to abort the mission shortly before disappearing from radar.  Debris found in the area has been confirmed to be from the mission plane.  No word yet on the condition of the missing pilot. This is not good. Even for the troubled and tumultuous history surrounding the F-35, this is not good.  For more reasons than those one might usually suspect. There is of course, the damage this incident does to the JSF's already troubled safety reputation .  A reputation that includes one previous crash , engine fires , and oxygen deprivation .  One could argue that no aircraft is completely safe, but given both the F-35's newness and importance to allied airpower, any mishap worthy of concern. Just as concerning is the security risk this incident brings up.  The F-35's "killer app" is its stealth. ...

Can we mash these together and make a baby? Unfortunately for fighter buffs, it appears as though Japan may  discontinue its homegrown 5th generation fighter plans . Despite a relatively successful run of its ATD-X, Tokyo has balked at the overwhelming cost of developing it into a combat-ready production model.  The decision is not yet final , but there seems to be little hope left for the " Shinshin ". While Japan is already on the list to receive the F-35, the JSF has always been considered a consolation price for not getting the F-22 .  Unfortunately for  Japan, US law forbade any Raptor exports.  While many would argue that the F-35 is "good enough" it may have a hard time facing Russia's Su-57 and China's J-20 .  This has left Japan pining for a high performance air-superiority fighter to replace its aging F-15J fleet.   So what is Japan to do? Like a superhero leaping into action (or a vulture swooping in) Lockheed Martin is there . ...

Turkish TFX concept (that one in the middle looks kinda familiar...) You would think that talk of a JSF "death spiral" would encourage the Pentagon to cling on to every potential F-35 sale like a hungry dog with a turkey leg.  Recent events in Turkey would suggest otherwise, however.  A recent decision to purchase Chinese missile  defense systems has the potential of getting Turkey kicked out of the JSF club . Like Canada, Turkey is a "Level 3 Partner" in the JSF program.  Unlike Canada, however, Turkey is much more committed to the program, looking at ordering 100 (vs 65) airframes in total and possibly buying its first two within months.   The F-35 won't be Turkey's only fighter however, as it recently purchased some F-16s , not to mention plans on an indigenous fifth generation fighter design (with a little help from Saab). Proposed KAI KFX design. Turkey isn't the only country working on its own "5th generation" stealth fig...