BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

"Have I got a deal for you..." In the wake of the Boeing/Bombardier/Airbus fiasco, the Boeing Super Hornet is all but disqualified as Canada's " interim fighter " to fulfill the " capability gap " inflicting the RCAF.  That has left the Government of Canada scrambling to find another fighter to bolster is aging CF-18 fleet.  Unfortunately, this means considering buying used legacy Hornets from other nations. To some, this is an  acceptable idea .  Next to buying simply nothing at all, it certainly is the most affordable option.  Apart from the the initial purchase price and getting the aircraft up to Canadian spec, there would be no additional costs required for training or setting up separate supply chains.  Procuring used Hornets would be as close to "plug-and-play" as we could ever get. It could be argued that used Hornets would be a much more sensible option than new-build Super Hornets.  This certainly is true from a value propos...

RAAF F/A-18 Hornet Canada has officially begun the process to acquire used F/A-18 Hornets from the RAAF .  It has presented the Australian government with a "Letter of Interest".  This tire-kicking will give a sense as to how much these second-hand fighters would cost us and how soon they would arrive. Let me save the Trudeau government some trouble:  Don't bother. This is not to disparage the Australians or the RAAF.  Like Canada, the Aussies have continuously upgraded and refurbished their fleet of Hornets.  While there are minor differences between the two, integration into the RCAF fleet should be relatively "plug-and-play". As far as costs go, second-hand F/A-18s would likely seem like a bargain.  It would certainly be a lot more affordable than the mind-boggling $5.23 billion quoted for 18 Boeing Super Hornets . So why give the RAAF Hornets a pass? It is a simple matter of availability.  The whole point of the interim fighter is to...

Changing of the guard? Let me make one thing abundantly clear:  I do not consider the Super Hornet to be the "Best Fighter for Canada"™. The Eurofighter Typhoon offers better performance.  As does the Rafale.  The Saab Gripen E/F offers the best bang-for-the buck.  The F-35 is undoubtedly the future.  So why am I so ecstatic about reports that the Super Hornet is on track to become Canada's "interim" fighter? Put simply, the Super Hornet offers a substantial capability upgrade to our aging CF-18 fleet.  While it does not fly faster, nor is it more agile than the current CF-18, it does benefit from a much improved range, payload, and avionic suite.  Best of all, the Super Hornet represents the safest choice.  It is a tried-and-true platform that offers an easy transition. News of an "interim" Super Hornet acquisition is certainly better than no news at all. Some are calling foul, however.  The Liberals did promise to hold a "fair a...

Lightning down under. To the surprise of pretty much nobody, Australia has formally announced its purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II .  This will bring the total number of RAAF F-35s up to 72. Much like Canada, Australia is in the midst of replacing its legacy F/A-18 Hornet fleet.  Also like Canada, there has been much controversy regarding the sole-source selection of the F-35 with no real consideration over other options available.  Unlike Canada, the Australian Government has proven to be unwavering in their commitment to the JSF.  Canberra has steadfastly committed to replacing its F-111C and F/A-18 fleets with 100 F-35As.  At the same time, the Aussies have accepted the reality that the JSF will not be ready until the 2020s, and has ordered a small fleet of "interim fighters" to bridge the gap. RAAF Super Hornet. In 2010, the RAAF started taking deliveries of the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet.  This would help make up for the ...

Boeing has been on a bit of a bad luck run lately.  After winning South Korea's F-XIII competition by default, its F-15SE Silent Eagle was unceremoniously booted out of the running for not being stealthy enough. It gets worse. After word got out that the USN might be ordering a 36 more Super Hornets, the Pentagon quickly kiboshed the rumor.   Now it looks like Boeing will have to shut down production of F-18E/F if it doesn't find orders soon. Things don't look promising.  The Super Hornet is being pushed as a likely alternative to the F-35 for Canada's next fighter, but that decision looks like it going to be put off until 2015, at the earliest.  That may be too late to keep the Rhino assembly line open.  It currently only has enough orders to stay open until 2016. What else is there? Australia is a small victory, but they are only ordering few dozen Super Hornets to tide them over until the F-35 is ready. There's Brazil, but they seem to b...