BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

We've done the impossible...  And that makes us mighty. -Captain Malcom Reynolds (Firefly)  The people of Canada spoke loud and clear last night.   After a record long campaign, the Liberal Party of Canada emerged victorious as the new government-elect.  One of the highlights of their platform  was to " immediately launch an open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18 fighter aircraft.”  Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has gone on the record stating that the F-35's  “stealth first-strike capability” is not needed to defend Canada, and the funds saved by going with a  more affordable aircraft would be used to shore up Canada's already-troubled National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). Canada's election results are already sending a ripple throughout the Joint Strike Fighter program.  If the LPC keeps its promise, we will be the first major JSF partner to walk away from the program.  This co...

On October 19th, you and I will get to have our ultimate say, not just about the CF-18 replacement, but about our nation as a whole. As always, I encourage you to vote.  I will not tell you which party to vote for, as that is your own personal choice.  For most of you, a political party's stance on fighter jets is not the number one issue facing our country.  It is an issue, however, otherwise you would not be here. For those who have might have missed it, here are the three major parties' stance on the CF-18 replacement and military procurement in general.  (I will ignore the Green Party and Bloc Quebecois as they have no chance of actually forming government.) "I once caught a fish this...  Is that person wearing a niqab?"  While the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has not come right out and said it, it seems pretty clear that they will continue "business as usual" when it comes to the F-35.  Since 2011, they have vaguely "reset"...

Don't worry.  This is a one-parter. It comes around on a seemingly regular basis. Either here, in the Facebook group, or some other media; someone will spout off that golden nugget that attempts to put a nail through everything I and others like me have tried to do over the last few years.  That nugget reads like the following: Those close to the F-35 program sing its praises.  Its critics are those who have never flown on it or worked on it.   It raises an interesting point. Why trust a random blogger over test pilot who flies the aircraft?  Why trust a scathing aviation reporter when official press releases are saying everything is tickety-boo?  What does it matter to us, anyway?  It isn't as if we will ever fly this airplane. While it is true that us aviation enthusiasts, bloggers, critics, and other layman are not as "connected" with the program as the pilots, executives, and politicians anchoring their careers to the JSF, there i...

MORE SOUTH KOREAN SHENANIGANS KFX concept sketch. When South Korea announced plans to buy 40 F-35 Lightning IIs last year, part of the justification was that South Korea would have access to technologies to help it build its own indigenous fighter.   That no longer seems to be the case . The South Korean F-35 acquisition has been controversial at best.  The JSF was first considered too expensive to procure, only for the bidding process to be abandoned and the F-35 chosen anyway .  While both Eurofighter and Boeing were able to get their Typhoon and Silent Eagle bids under the $7.2 billion (US) budget, that same money could only swing 40 F-35s. It makes you wonder how much further the South Korean deal will be altered . RISE IN US DOLLAR EQUALS RISE IN F-35 COST There is a great deal of bluster about how much cheaper the F-35 is getting as it nears full-rate production.  This may or may not be true for the USA, but it is certainly fals...

I hear they have cookies... Now that we know where the major political parties stand on the CF-18 replacement, there remains a question as to how much this will effect the election. While the F-35 issue dominated the headlines for a day or so, it seems to have been eclipsed by the controversy surrounding the niqab .  This shows how fickle the news media and the general public can be . Myself, I feel strongly enough about Canadian military procurement to factor it into my vote.  It is not the be-all, end-all however.  Other issues, such as health care , senate reform , and marijuana legalization  concern me just as much. As usual, I will be voting for the party that most replicates my own views.  I have never shown particular loyalty to a party in the past, and I still remain (mostly) undecided about this current election. How important is military procurement in your view?  Will it be a primary factor in your vote?  A consideration?  O...

Like the F-35?  Better vote Conservative. Well...  That didn't take long. Shortly after Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced that his party would scrap the F-35 purchase and hold a competition to replace the CF-18, the other two leaders have (somewhat) clarified their position. Much like Trudeau, NDP Thomas Mulcair would start a competition.  Unlike the Liberals, the NDP would include the F-35 in the process.  Mulcair took the opportunity to add some campaign rhetoric, slamming Trudeau for disqualifying the F-35 . I will note here that Mulcair and the NDP have (quietly) announced that their position aligns itself with what you will see on this blog.  That is, if the F-35 is to be chosen as replacement for Canada's CF-18s, it should do so based on its own merits and suitability for Canada. Conservative Party of Canada leader (and current PM) Stephen Harper's response was a little more...  Uh...  Apocalyptic. Harper lambasted Trudeau...

Finally. After weeks of pretty much ignoring Canada's current DND procurement woes, a party leader have unequivocally stated their position on Canada's controversial purchase of the F-35 Lightning II. In a rally held in Halifax today, Liberal Party of Canada leader Justin Trudeau stated, quite bluntly, that the Grits "will not buy the F-35 fighter jet". Instead, we will launch an open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18s; keeping in mind the primary mission of our fighter aircraft is the defense of North America.  This process will also ensure that bids include guaranteed industrial benefits for Canadian companies and workers.    Trudeau then emphasized that saving money on fighter jets would ensure that monies would not be taken away from shipbuilding in places like the Halifax shipyards. While this news was a long time coming, it is not entirely unexpected.  Kelowna Liberal candidate and former CF-18 pilot  Stephen Fuhr has been quite ...