BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

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 . ...

Thanks to everybody who voted in last week's "What if..." poll.  The results were pretty straight forward.  A staggering 81% of you believe that the F-35 is the wrong fighter for Canada no matter what the price. Yikes. The inspiration for this week's "What if..." comes from BF4C's new cover picture.  (I got a request to take down the Voodoo...)  The CF-100 Canuck remains Canada's only indigenous fighter design to make production.  While it certainly is not the sexiest aircraft design, it is still fondly remembered for its ruggedness and longevity.  The "Clunk" even managed to find a foreign buyer with Belgium. It really is too bad that Canada's fighter industry died with the CF-100's successor, the CF-105 Arrow. Right now, Canada's fighter selection is rather limited in variety.  While there is a substantial quantity  of choices, the quality leaves a bit to be desired.  Even including two aircraft that are not offici...

"A few more rolls of duct tape and she'll be good as new!" It looks like Canada will not be getting new fighter aircraft anytime soon. RCAF CF-18s are getting another life-extension, this time to keep the aircraft flying until 2025 .  This comes with news that Canada has invested another  $25-30 million into the Joint Strike Fighter in order to "buy the plane at a slight discount if it chooses" and, more importantly, remain eligible to bid on JSF related contracts. The message here is very clear, the Canadian government still sort of wants to buy the F-35...  Just not right now. This places it in a difficult position, however.  Aging CF-18s are already stationed in the Baltic region and now there is talk they may participate in airstrikes against ISIS/ISIL .  Meanwhile, an election is scheduled for fall of next year.  The "strong on defense" Conservative party will have a lot of pressure on them for sending Canadian military personnel into c...