Is Canada sending CF-18s overseas to support a F-35 purchase?
Past its prime, but still sent into action. In a bewildering show of "why bother", Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent a force of six RCAF CF-18s to bolster NATO forces near the Ukraine . Sending six 30-year-old fighters against one of the most powerful air forces in the world is pretty much the equivalent of sending Barney Fife for back up. Only the oldest Russian aircraft are near the same vintage as the CF-18, with the majority of their fighter fleet (Su-27s and MiG-29s) being far newer. Both the Su-27 (Flanker) and MiG-29 (Fulcrum) are newer designs than the CF-18, and unlike similar aircraft used by Libya and Bosnia, Russian Flankers and Fulcrums have been thoroughly upgraded throughout the years and their pilots are well trained. The Su-27 was always superior to the CF-18, it being the Russian equivalent to the F-15. It's more powerful, longer ranged, and wields a powerful radar along with a dizzying array of air-to-air weaponry. ...