BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

  So…. Now what? The process is still far from over but what is left is mostly mundane and bureaucratic.  Stuff like finalizing costs, delivery dates, etc. Hopefully, Canada can now focus it procurement efforts on  revitalizing the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces.  With fighters and frigates out of the way; it’s high time we look into replacing our submarines, MRTTs, and other.  Recent lessons from the war in Ukraine has also made it clear that UCAVs are the future of warfare.  Canada best catch up. Was all this for nothing?  No.  I do not believe so.  Even though Canada is still choosing the F-35, it is doing so in a much more rational way.  We have taken the time to evaluate our needs.  Taken a clear look at the options.  We have arrived at a decision removed from political whim.  Ultimately, Canada is getting a lot more aircraft than initially planned.  We are also getting later build F-35s.  Now, more of th...

  For those of you wondering how Saab lost the FFCP competition, new information has come to light... According inside sources, the initial scoring of the two fighters was incredibly close.  The F-35 did indeed win the "Capability" category (worth up to 60%) while the Gripen E ended up being ahead on both price (worth 20%) and industrial offsets (worth the remaining 20%).   According to my source April Furst, who is currently serving an internship in the House of Commons.  The ultimate decision was made rather hastily while the final scores were being tallied up.   "Due to COVID restrictions and renovations, the FFCP committee were forced to convene in a remote office located in the basement of the Parliament building.  You could tell it wasn't used very often.  Lots of cobwebs, and the whole place smelled musty and moldy.   "The committee members were doing their thing, going down each individual line of the respective offers.  It was actual...

  The F-35 will be Canada's next fighter.   In a process more than ten years in the making, the Canadian government officially announced that it is entering talks with Lockheed Martin to procure 88 F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft.   If talks break down, the Canadian government reserves the right to approach Saab and acquire the Gripen instead.  This scenario is highly unlikely...  But not impossible given the long sordid history of the FFCP.   Canada first announced that it was buying the F-35 way back  in 2010, only to be "reset".  It appears we have come full circle. What was the point? The truth is, the initial decision to purchase the F-35 was incredibly flawed.  Costs were unrealistically optimistic.  The aircraft's development was deeply troubled.  No serious consideration was given to any other aircraft.  Even the number of aircraft to be purchased (65) seemed to be shockingly low.   Canada made the ri...

  Note:  This new is still breaking... Unconfirmed reports are coming in that the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be announced as the replacement for Canada's aging CF-18 Hornet.   It is said that Lockheed Martin is now the " preferred bidder " and final talks will take place.  If those talks fall through, then the Saab Gripen E will be next in line.   More to follow. 

  While we wait for Canada to finally announce it replacement for the CF-18, we find the world a much different place than it was when this whole saga began.   While war is certainly nothing new, the unprovoked incursion by Russia into Ukraine seems different.  Marrying some of the worst elements of both the Cold War and World War II, the Russian invasion has been brutal and unforgiving.  Civilian casualties have been high , with Russian forces being rather indiscriminate in their targets.   After years of seeing wars fought with precision guided munitions used in overwhelming force, we may have forgotten just how "messy" war can be.   Given Vladimir Putin's shaky justification for the "military exercise" and the Ukrainian early victory in the " propaganda war "; it did not take long for the rest of the world to pick sides in this conflict.  Most of the world have declared Ukraine as the "good guy" with only Russia's most stalwart allies...

 Please take the time to watch, like and subscribe to this wonderful new YouTube channel!  (or don’t...  it’s a free country…) Dana is a wonderful historian and skillful photographer.  On top of that, his soulful baritone voice has been known to soothe rampant møøse and the occasional rabid grizzly.  You might even catch a glimpse of a certain fighter aircraft… For this of you who don’t know, Dana is a good friend who helps out in the Best Fighter for Canada Facebook group.  Best of luck, Dana…  and may the YouTube algorithm take a liking to ya!  https://youtu.be/LE1jwZW7I5M

  Immediately following the Russian invasion, a brave Ukrainian pilot strapped into a Cold War-era MiG-29 Fulcrum and took to the skies.  Fueled by an undying love of their homeland, they quickly tallied up a combat record heretofore unseen.   Two Russian Su-35s, one Su-27, one MiG-29, and two Su-25s were brought down by a single pilot on the first day of conflict…  All by the same Ukrainian pilot.  That pilot became the first “ace” of the 21st century and has joined the ranks of legends like the Red Baron.  Thus the legend of the "Ghost of Kyiv" was born. It’s all true . Or is it?   Realistically, there should be no way a single MiG-29 should be capable of such a feat.  While it is a capable aircraft, it is inferior to the Su-27.  Compared to the more modern Su-35, the Fulcrum is outclassed in almost every way… Aerial combat is not simply about "Fighter A" being better than "Fighter B".  Pilot skill, ground support, intelligence, tactic...

  Between this site and its progenitor , I have been at this roughly twelve years.  What started out as a distraction from PTSD and a way to keep my writing skills semi-competent has turned into...  Something else.   I am glad to say I have met some interesting people, both online and in the flesh.  Some have gone beyond being acquaintances and have become good friends.  Pilots, politicians, technicians, engineers, historians, writers, veterans...  Possibly even a Time Lord and lewd anime character (I have yet to be proven wrong on either of these assumptions).  I feel privileged and humbled to have interacted with these people. As hard as it is to believe, some comments directed to me have not been kind.  Some have even accused me of bias.  Y'know what?  THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Everyone has bias.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is either unaware of it or lying.  Biases are a natural byproduct of our own experiences and...

  Sometimes, life imitates art.   It is a scenario right out of a Cold War thriller novel .  The United States Navy has managed to lose one its brand new stealth fighters in the South China Sea.  Now, the race is on to locate and retrieve what remains of the aircraft.    On January 24, an F-35C Lightning II suffered a " landing mishap " after returning to the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.  While similar incidents have happened in the past with both a Royal Navy F-35 B and Japanese F-35A; both those incidents happened in "friendly" waters.  This latest mishap occurred uncomfortably close to Chinese territory.    Complicating matters further is the how intact the USN F-35C appears to be in leaked pictures from the incident.  Needless to say, the People's Liberation Army Navy would be more than happy to "assist" the USN in "recovering" its newest, state of the art, still mostly classified, stealth fighter. This would not...

  Now that we are down to the final stretch of the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP), it seems only right to devote some time learning about how the winner will be ultimately chosen. Some suggest that the Joint Strike Fighter's selection is a foregone conclusion.  This is due to the F-35 winning similar competitions in Switzerland and Finland .  While this is an important bellwether, it should be noted that these competitions were held using different parameters and criteria.  It should also be noted that both announcements have met with skepticism and protest .  This is especially true when it comes to claims the F-35 won on " economical " grounds.  It turns out the one of the reasons why the F-35 was cheaper was because it would be flown only 140 hours per year instead of 180 .  Other aspects of the competitions seem to give the F-35 distinct advantages as well.  (This might be worth its blog post...) Whatever the case, it is important ...