Kanada, der sich nicht anschließt, um den F-35-Vertrag mit uns zu verlassen, sagt Head of Defense Procurement | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-f-35-jets-contract-united-states-1.7651705?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar
Kanada, der sich nicht anschließt, um den F-35-Vertrag mit uns zu verlassen, sagt Head of Defense Procurement | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-f-35-jets-contract-united-states-1.7651705?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar
10 Kommentare
Anyone in defense procurement seems highly locked into the American relationship. It’s something those in leadership are going to need to root out if politicians actually want to move in a different direction.
I saw that on cbc (Rosemary Barton’s show), and while that was the headline, he didn’t really say what some may think it implies. He pretty much just said the decision is being made, i.e. that we’re still getting the initial 16 and the rest we’ll see. Pretty much what was said before. He said there’s no urgency to make the decision now.
At least that’s what I heard.
‚The Liberal government signed a deal in 2023 with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to purchase 88 F-35 jets. But after rising trade tensions with the United States, then-defence minister Bill Blair said in March that Canada was reconsidering the purchase.‘
There are lots of alternative suppliers for a $30 billion+ contract. The Swedish-built Saab Gripen could be part of the mix.
It is unfortunate and dangerous that the procurement Mandarins in the CF and Ministry have been so brainwashed by the American military-industrial complex that they are incapable of thinking outside the box.
They’re gonna have to start. Sure they can keep the 16 F-35s already ordered and paid for …even add another 16 to that number. But the bulk of the fleet must be another (non-American) platform that we can build and service / repair in Canada.
While our current situation is quite different, I still note that with a comparable population size, Ukraine manages to operate and maintain (?) different Soviet jets (Mig-29, SU-24, SU-25, SU-27), F-16s, Mirages, and the Sweedish Gripens are on their way. Also the usual panoply of non-combat aircrafts.
Canada is surely capable of handling two (2) types of fighter jets, like the F-35s that we are already committed to, but also a good number of made-in-Canada Gripens that we would definitely be able to maintain and even enhance in-house as needed, considering the local building expertise.
The F35 was always going to be a decent modern fighter-plane (or the Mericans wouldn’t be using it.) The problem with it was always how we would get entangled in the US military industrial complex.
I don’t like this deal because I do not want to give American conservatives more control. If they try to 51st state us I don’t want our airplanes not working because they can’t get a software update or replacement parts are not coming in.
In my opinion American Conservatives are the biggest threat to our freedom. Nothing against the plane, just the people that control the country that makes it
I’m a total layperson when it comes to the military, but every single informed commentator of whom I’m aware has said that 1) the cost and logistical complexity of flying a mixed fleet would be prohibitive, and 2) if we went in that direction, we just wouldn’t have functional fighter jets for an extended period.
Like it or not if you want the RCAF to continue to operate fighter jet squadrons to defend Canadian airspace and fulfil NATO obligations it is the F-35 that we need to procure. This is a situation of our own making when successive CPC and LPC parties underfunded defence and hold a misguided notion that the US would always help us defend ourselves. The LPC didn’t help the situation when the RCAF urgently need a replacement for the 40 year old CF-18 Hornet, only to tarry in procuring a replacement.
I don’t love getting entangled with the loonie bin down south even more, but we’re likely to get the entire order of jets. I dunno how they’re gonna make the bitter pill easier to swallow when the time comes. The writing’s on the wall on this one.