Canada‘s existing fleet of fighter jets is overdue for replacement. The CF-18s have been operating continuously since the early 1980s, longer than most of their pilots have been alive. The basic existing design of the fighter is even older than that.
They should have been replaced long ago. This was supposedly a priority for the Harper government. In theory, it was a priority for the Trudeau government, too. Now it’s a problem for the Carney government.
Canada is apparently considering acquiring a mixed fleet of fighter jets. But this decision is being considered without any real strategic thinking.
Economic considerations seem to be taking precedence over military imperatives, even though several experts and military leaders strongly recommend a single fleet of F-35s, which is considered more consistent with continental defence needs.
Defence Minister David McGuinty says Canada isn’t ruling out diversifying its fighter-jet purchases from more than one company in order to fulfil capability requirements.
“We’re grateful for any forthcoming offer that comes forward,” McGuinty told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday. “If anybody walks into Canada tomorrow from a sovereign wealth fund or with a joint venture in mind or is looking to set up a company in Canada to create 10, 20, 30, 40, 50,000 jobs, game on.”
What a load of BS.
The federal industry minister is putting pressure on U.S.-based Lockheed Martin to provide more economic benefits in Canada if the government is to proceed with its planned purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets.
Otherwise, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in a French-language interview on Radio-Canada’s Les coulisses du pouvoir, Ottawa could move forward with a smaller fleet of F-35s and the acquisition of a second fleet of Gripen-E fighter jets manufactured by Sweden’s Saab. That company has offered to assemble Gripens in Canada.
Joly made the comments as Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is still mulling the fate of the $27.7-billion fighter jet contract.
Yes you read that right. Melanie Joly.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan says the Canadian military is moving ahead with its preparations for F-35 fighter jets despite an ongoing government review of the purchase.
“We’re not currently in the position where we are waiting,” Carignan told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an exclusive interview airing Sunday. “We are working towards this acquisition.”
“Our pilots are off to the U.S. in the next few months to start training,” she added. “The infrastructure is going up. We have airfields being extended to get ready, so we are definitely not in a position where we are waiting.”
The release of the Canadian military’s review of the F-35 fighter jet is expected shortly but the U.S. has already signalled this country could face serious consequences if the Liberal government decides not to proceed with the arms deal.
Defence Minister David McGuinty has committed to the public release of the review which will come by the end of the summer.
Canadian defence officials have strongly made the case that Ottawa should stick to a plan to buy 88 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets rather than splitting the order, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The review stops short of making a formal recommendation, one of the sources said.
National Defence considering purchase of fighter drones that could fly with F-35
The Department of National Defence is looking at the possibility of complementing its incoming F-35 fleet with uncrewed combat aircraft.
Unclassified documents obtained by The Canadian Press show the department is researching various options for acquiring the emerging technology.
The documents suggest that purchasing a fleet of aerial combat drones that could fly alongside fighter jets could cost as much as $16 billion and would require hundreds of staff.
The drones should integrate well with the F-35’s were not going to buy.
The report on the cost of the F-35 from the auditor general is more about incompetence than anything else. It’s also a worrying sign given that Prime Minister Mark Carney just pledged billions in new spending for the Canadian Armed Forces.
The headline from the audit is that the original cost projection to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets was $19 billion and now it’s $27.7 billion, a 46% increase.
Canada’s plan to buy 88 U.S.-built F-35 fighter jets is facing significant challenges, including skyrocketing costs, a shortage of trained pilots and a lack of critical infrastructure, according to a new report from Auditor General Karen Hogan.
The audit for the F-35 program is part of Hogan’s spring audits, released Tuesday, which also found contracts awarded to GCStrategies for the ArriveCan app and other services regularly did not follow proper processes or deliver value for money.
This sounds like the prep for exiting the purchase agreement.
There is a street named after him in a British town.
A plaque at the local hospital tells the story of how the 29-year-old pilot saved many lives while sacrificing his own during the Second World War.
There are even talks of building a statue of Darlington’s “Gallant Airman” to honour his life and death.
But William Stuart McMullen, a Canadian pilot officer from Ontario, is little known in his own country.
Nope. Not today’s “Canada”.
OTTAWA — The Canadian military’s infrastructure in the Arctic is “limited and deteriorating” and will soon reach a “rust-out” stage unless action is taken to stop it from getting worse, according to a new first-of-its-kind evaluation of the armed forces’ operations in the region.
The report from the Department of National Defence raises concerns about a lack of strategic direction for the military in the Arctic that could hamper future planning. It describes shortages of personnel and resources that require the Canadian Armed Forces to rely heavily on contractors for planes and over-the-snow vehicles for its largest annual exercise in the region. It also highlights how aging northern radar stations leave gaps for detecting potential threats that aren’t set to be addressed until new infrastructure is ready in the early 2030s.
In the late 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, Gordon Todd — who grew up on a dairy farm in southern Quebec — flew practice missions in an RCAF CF-104 Starfighter, to prepare for the day when war might break out between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact along the line that demarked Communist eastern Europe and the NATO nations to the west.
Canadian military drones will face challenges operating in Arctic, RCAF report warns
Canada plans to build a facility for its new drones in the Arctic, but will face more than its share of challenges in operating the aircraft in the far north, air force documents show.
The Liberal government announced on Dec. 19 that Canada would buy 11 of the remotely piloted aircraft from a U.S. company for $2.5 billion.
The new drones will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., and 19 Wing Comox, B.C.
Did no one think to ask when they were kicking the tires?
In his 1961 farewell address, U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower warned about the potentially detrimental impact of the “military-industrial complex” on public policy.
“We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence,” he said.
The spectre of shadowy defence contractors plotting with unhinged generals has been the stuff of conspiracies ever since.
The reality is less dramatic but still alarming in its disregard for due process and democratic guardrails.
Take the nearly two-decades-long process to purchase the F-35 fighter jet.
