BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

  Reports that there would be a "down selection" in the competition to replace Canada's aging CF-18s have turned out to be true...  Sort of.   Despite "industry insiders" predicting that the Saab Gripen will be removed from consideration , that dubious honor will go to Boeing's Super Hornet instead.  This is indeed a big surprise...  If you have not been paying attention.   The most striking fact about the Super Hornet's departure is that, at one point, it WAS going to be Canada's next fighter.  Well...   On an interim basis, anyway .  When the Liberal government formed in 2015, they had done so on the promise of cancelling Canada's F-35 purchase.  The F/A-18E/F seemed to be the most likely alternative.  In 2016, it was announced that Canada would be purchasing 18 Super Hornets as a way of filling a " capability gap ".  While these 18 Super Hornets would not be a replacing CF-18s per se , they could have definitely been u...

Rutan Voyager (All around the world without refueling) Welcome to "Back to Basics"; an ongoing series in which we will attempt to "get back to basics".  Each week (or so) we will examine one crucial aspect of a fighter and how the fighters vying for Canada's FFCP compare.  No matter how capable a fighter aircraft may be, it is of little value if it cannot get to where it needs to be.  While this fact may seem obvious, many fighter comparisons seem to either gloss over an aircraft's range or ignore it entirely.  One could make the argument that, in the age of aerial refueling, an aircraft's maximum range is no longer a priority.  Maybe so, but that assumes ample resources will be available; something that is not always the case .   Perhaps one of the reasons a fighter aircraft's range is often overlooked is because there is never a clear-cut answer.  Unlike top speed or g- limits, which have a clear "maximum" number; an aircr...

Welcome to "Back to Basics"; an ongoing series in which we will attempt to "get back to basics".  Each week (or so) we will examine one crucial aspect of a fighter and how the fighters vying for Canada's FFCP compare.  For a combat aircraft, speed and maneuverability are important factors in its survivability.  Once detected, a pilot may need to push an aircraft to its limits to avoid enemy fire.  Of course, the simplest way to avoid enemy fire is not get detected in the first place.   Despite its widespread use in all the latest material, the concept of a stealthy aircraft is nothing new.  It began when combat aircraft were first painted in a disruptive camouflage pattern in WWI.  While this may seem basic by today's standards, one must remember that the most effective detection equipment of the day was the Mark I Eyeball .  Up until partway through WWII, one could avoid detection by utilizing...

Welcome to "Back to Basics"; an ongoing series in which we will attempt to "get back to basics".  Each week (or so) we will examine one crucial aspect of a fighter and how the fighters vying for Canada's FFCP compare.  Is there anything more thrilling than watching a fighter jet pull impossibly tight turns, loops, and rolls at mind-boggling speeds?  Maybe a few things come to mind, but not many.  Not a single person watched TOP GUN  for its romantic subplot.   Fighter maneuverability does more than excite people at airshows and make a star out of Tom Cruise.  For the kill-or-be-killed world of fighter combat, agility is requisite for survival.  Like speed, a fighter with superior maneuverability will have better control over the engagement.  A fighter without speed and agility is more likely to become the hunted instead of the hunter.   The purpose of fighter maneuvers is si...

Early radar mounted on a Me Bf110 Welcome to "Back to Basics"; an ongoing series in which we will attempt to "get back to basics".  Each week (or so) we will examine one crucial aspect of a fighter and how the fighters vying for Canada's FFCP compare.  When comparing modern jet fighters to one another, one tends to focus on the more tangible aspects:  How fast they are, how many weapons they can mount, and how  maneuverable  they are.  Yet  none of these factors really matter until a target is found, identified, and tracked.   For years, a fighter aircraft's sensor suite was limited to pilot's vision.  Not only was 20/20 vision (or better) a prerequisite, but the design of the aircraft itself was an important factor in giving pilots a clear view of the sky around them.  Everything from cockpit position to bubble canopies have been implemented to help improve performance of the " Mark I Eyeball ". ...