BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

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...

For when you've made a bad decision... With the continued threat of US military budget cuts, upper brass at the Pentagon is finally starting to come around to the simple truth...  Current fighter fleets are soldiering on well past their prime, and are requiring life extension programs and upgrades to remain effective.  The JSF is still years away from operational status, with all signs pointing to further delays , and there is a very real possibility of outright cancelation . Reality is setting in...  They might need to find an alternative to the F-35. Their simply isn't time or resources to build an all new design.  The F/A-XX is still years away from any flying prototype, and securing funding for such an undertaking may prove to be a challenge in and of itself.  Any "plan B" will have to be an existing design, or, at the very least, heavily derived from one. USN Super, and Super Duper Hornets. Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. This one is ea...