BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

Well...  That was...   Expected. The Liberal Party of Canada's first  Federal budget  since forming the government is finally here.  To the surprise of pretty much no one, defense spending is once again put on the back-burner.  This, despite an eye-watering $29.4 billion deficit projected for this year. Those hoping for increased funding will have to wait until 2020 before funding for large scale projects (CSPS, CF-18 replacement, etc) takes effect.  This is precariously close to the end of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mandate.  In all possibility, this increase in funding could very well hinge on the outcome of the  next  federal election.  (insert groan here) Ugh. One might view this as a possible return to the "Days of Darkness" that occurred under Prime Minister Jean Chretien...  And rightly so. To be fair, however, this budget does not make an about-face in Canadian military spending.  The previous St...

I am not a huge fan of the F-35. Over the years, the F-35 program has been troubled to say the least.  It has gone  over-budget , it is way  behind schedule , and the aircraft's performance has been  underwhelming  so far. Despite the JSF's problems, the Canadian government announced it  would purchase 65 F-35As  in a "sole-source" deal to replace Canada's aging CF-18 Hornets.  Other fighter manufacturers were given a  brief glance , but only after the decision was made to go with the JSF. We all know how that turned out. With the new Liberal government promising to hold an open and transparent competition, the question needs to be asked:  Should the F-35 be given another shot? Of course it should. There is no denying the fact that the F-35 will be the preeminent fighter aircraft of NATO.  With over 3,100 airframes planned, the JSF will see service in the USAF, USN, USMC, RAF, RAAF, IAF, RNLAF, ROKAF, JASDF, RNoAF,...

CC-115 Buffalo If an individual ever had doubts about just how bewildering Canada's military procurement methods are, look no further than the efforts to replace its fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) fleet.   Announced in 2004 , the FWSAR replacement project has seen countless delays .  Even more frustrating is that none of these delays are caused by technical issues.  Instead, the FWSAR has been a victim of politics and bureaucracy gumming up what should have been a straight-forward project. The need is there to replace Canada's aging CC-115 Buffalo .  The 60s era airframe has not been built since 1986.  Parts are increasingly difficult to procure and maintenance is a challenge.   Cost is not an issue.  Compared to the $9 billion CF-18 replacement and the $38 billion National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy ( NSPS ), the $3.1 billion (service contract included) FWSAR project is unlikely to raise any objections.   Politi...

Not a bad deal when you get to spend someone else's money. In a move that should surprise nobody, Israel has announced that it intends to buy a few more F-35s to add to the 19 it initially ordered in 2010 . The newest order provides for a minimum of 14 F-35s, with an option to order up to 17 more. The Israeli order is interesting for several reasons: First is the fact that those F-35s are completely funded by the American taxpayer.  Not directly, of course, but the USA doles out approximately $3 billion worth of military aid to Israel annually .  That $3 billion also just so happens to be the cost of those 14 shiny new F-35s.  Coincidence?  Maybe. The second reason the Israeli JSF buy is interesting is due to the fact that Israel, while putting very little investment into the program, seems be reaping plenty of benefits.  As a "Security Cooperative Participant", Israel would be below "Level 3" partners like Canada or Denmark.  Despite this rel...

Oooh...  Fancy. I always get suspicious when the the JSF program releases a fancy new picture and a bit of positive news.  While the photograph is always well done, the "good news" is usually rather anti-climatic.  Often, it merely boasts of meeting defined test points, stuff that should be deemed merely acceptable, not brag-worthy.  What would be news is if the JSF did not meet these test points. This is exactly the case this past weekend, when the program office released the picture you see above, along with the press statement that the  "F-35 CONTINUES ON PATH TOWARD FULL WEAPONS CERTIFICATION" Good to know that the F-35 might actually have weapons when the USMC declares initial operating capability (IOC) in six months . As impressive as that photo above looks, there are a few caveats: First of all, ignore those 25mm cannon rounds in the foreground.  The gun that shoots them will not be ready until 2019 . Second, you will notice most of t...

"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...

HMCS Protecteur being towed by USNS Sioux The Canadian Navy's two Protecteur- class replenishment ships are done.  After 45 years of faithful service, HMCS Protecteur suffered an engine room fire off the coast of Hawaii and needed to be towed back to port.  Her sister ship, the HMCS Preserver, is not doing much better.  In 2011, it smashed into a Halifax dock causing over a half-million dollars in damages .  Both ships have been plagued with electrical problems . These ships are no longer just "showing their age".  One of these ships is now officially dead with the other on life support.  Recently, it was announced that both ships have sailed their last journeys , along with the similar vintaged HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Algonquin destroyers.  This is just as well, as the two Protecteur- class ships were beginning to wear out there welcome in many ports thanks to their monohull design. The Queenston- class These two ships have served Ca...

"Ugh...  No...  Not again..." A Canadian federal election planned for fall of next year.  This means that the current parliamentary session will see all sides in full "Election Mode" as the 2015 election cycle unofficially begins .  Criticisms will be hurled, diatribes spoken, and pundits will be punditing. Expect the Senate scandal to be a hot topic, naturally.  There will also be debate about the controversial changes to the criminal code.  There will also be discussion about Canada's continued involvement overseas combined with our militaries abysmal procurement process .  A controversial F-35 purchase announcement, followed by a reset, followed by whatever the heck is happening now  is more than enough to put the current Conservative government in the opposition's crosshairs.  If that was not enough, there is still the matter of a stillborn FWSAR replacement, the expensive shipbuilding strategy , and a military budget that i...

F/A-18E Super Hornet I am sure by now many of you have seen the report stating that the Super Hornet is the only aircraft being considered by Canadian government officials as a true alternative to the F-35 Lightning II.  This would seem to indicate that the "Eurocanards" (Typhoon, Rafale, and Gripen) were only included for appearances. First of all, I would remind everyone to take "reports" like this with a grain of salt. This would not be the first time a major bombshell dropped out of Ottawa only to fizzle out a short time later.  There has already been plenty of false starts in the CF-18 replacement caper, there is bound to be a few more before all is said and done. It should also be noted that these "leaks" come out intentionally.  This is a means to gauge public reaction before a controversial decision is made.  There is a good chance the current government is "testing the waters" before coming to its decision. So why all t...