BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

KC-46 Pegasus fueling an F-15 Aerial refueling is nothing new. In theory, aerial refueling is a simple concept.  Take one, preferably large, aircraft with the ability to carry much fuel as possible.  Then modify that aircraft with some sort of umbilical that can connect to another aircraft while both are mid-air, allowing fuel to be transferred from the tanker aircraft to the other.  This allows the freshly refueled aircraft carry on with its mission when landing would not be possible or otherwise inconvenient. The first successful aerial refueling happened almost 100 years ago , only a scant 19 years after the first powered flight.  The concept began more widespread military use in the early days of the Cold War following World War II .  Since then, the ability to provide in-air refueling has become a core capability for almost every modern major air force. For the United States Airforce (USAF), aerial refueling has become a vital asset.  The U...

What a long, strange trip the story of the F-35 has been...  And it still ain't over. Originally conceived as a lightweight and affordable replacement to the F-16 and F/A-18, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) would soon grow (both figuratively and literally) to become one of the most controversial military procurements in modern history.  Beset with cost overruns , delays , and defects ; the F-35 program has nonetheless soldiered on and is now officially in service with several air forces around the world and is being produced in large numbers . Canada's relationship with the JSF has been a turbulent one.  The Harper Government announced the purchase of 65 Lockheed Martin F-35As back in 2010 , only to backtrack on that announcement two years later .  The F-35 purchase remained in limbo until 2015, when a newly elected Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would conduct an open competition to replace Canada's CF-18 fleet. Back in 2012, the F-35 program was politi...

We are now approaching the end of the beginning of Canada's meandering quest to replace the CF-18 Hornet.   Later this month , the Government of Canada will finally release an official RFP (Request for Proposals) to the fighter manufacturers.   Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Airbus (representing Eurofighter), and Saab will then have until the end of the year to submit their bid to replace the RCAF's aging fleet of CF-18s.  Dassault respectfully declined to offer its Rafale due to compatibility reasons .   Once the RFP is released, the decision should be (mostly) out of the politicians' hands.  Even if the government changes in the upcoming election, restarting the process yet again  would be politically catastrophic.   In short... Of course, Canada's fighter jet replacement program has to put up with at least  one more hurdle before it can get on to business.  In this case, its Lockheed Martin and the Trump administration...

On April 9th, 2019, a Japanese F-35 Lightning II went missing while flying over the Pacific .  Not much is known so far other than the pilot signaled the need to abort the mission shortly before disappearing from radar.  Debris found in the area has been confirmed to be from the mission plane.  No word yet on the condition of the missing pilot. This is not good. Even for the troubled and tumultuous history surrounding the F-35, this is not good.  For more reasons than those one might usually suspect. There is of course, the damage this incident does to the JSF's already troubled safety reputation .  A reputation that includes one previous crash , engine fires , and oxygen deprivation .  One could argue that no aircraft is completely safe, but given both the F-35's newness and importance to allied airpower, any mishap worthy of concern. Just as concerning is the security risk this incident brings up.  The F-35's "killer app" is its stealth. ...

Forgive me if this post seems a bit like a rant.  I've been fighting both a gastrointestinal infection and a lung infection for the last few days and the meds are only helping me so much... The United States Government Accountability Office recently released its yearly report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter .  This 2018 report is of importance because the decision to enter full production will be made in October this year. Spoiler alert:  Despite being in development for over 17 years, there are still major deficiencies in aircraft performance, longevity, and even safety .  Even with the current problems, the US Department of Defense " plans to defer resolving some critical deficiencies found in testing until after its full-rate production decision in October 2019, even though DOD’s policy states that critical deficiencies generally will be resolved before then." It would seem " concurrency " is the gift that keeps on giving.  Why mess around recallin...

Just when the JSF program is starting to put its troubled past behind it, another incident occurs. On September 29th, a USMC F-35B crashed in South Carolina .  Thankfully, the pilot ejected safely and no lives were lost. For more details on the incident, check out Foxtrot Alpha . While the JSF is certainly no stranger to its share of incidents , this is the first time one of the aircraft has been lost due to a crash. After a brief investigation, the Pentagon has ordered the entire F-35 fleet to be grounded .  This is the second time the entire fleet has been grounded; the first grounding was the result of " engine rubbing " that caused a spontaneous engine fire. Despite its well-publicized incidents and groundings, the F-35 remains a relatively safe plane .  Its been flying over twelve years, with total flight hours in the hundreds of thousands, and over 320 airframes built.  Not a single fatality has been reported so far. Many other modern fight...

Although some might believe otherwise, I have really done my best to present the F-35 in a fair and unbiased light.  I have even warmed up to it somewhat lately, going so far that it could  have a place in a mixed Canadian fleet ...  And then I see something that makes it nearly impossible to take any of Lockheed Martin's marketing fluff seriously. Look at the above graphic, coming from a positively glowing article from ForeignPolicy.com . Does anything seem a bit off to you? Those numbers are optimistic.  Wildly optimistic. According to Lockheed Martin, Canada (notice the asterisk there) canceled its planned JSF purchase (of 65 planes)...  But because of Boeing's tomfoolery, it will now buy 88  F-35s instead. Huh? While the F-35 is still very much in the running, its high cost and recent political fallout make it far from a sure thing. Yet this infographic presents it as such. Yeah... Maybe Lockheed Martin can be excused for being bullis...