Revisionist history... Should we have bought the CF-18?
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 ...