Canada should just go ahead with the prior already committed plans.
As in a month, they may not have fighters to defend the country, mentioned in the report.
Like who is going to attack Canada? But still.
article snip
"There's no better military option," Blondin said.
Canada is expected to receive its first deliveries of F-35s next year but will have poured significant investment into putting the vast infrastructure in place in time for their arrival.
There are a host of other problems that Canada would court if it pulled out of the deal, from making it harder to work seamlessly with its allies to risking the wrath of Trump.
There is a pressing need for Canada to replace its moribund CF-18 fleet that cannot wait, experts say. Canada's Hornet aircraft have "been desperately in need of replacement for more than a decade," said Justin Bronk, a research fellow for airpower and military technology at the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
"The Canadian fighter force can't wait for another fighter procurement process," Bronk told Newsweek. "They just can't wait."
Other F-35 nations operating the jets in Europe have reassured one another they are still committed to the fifth-generation fighter jet, a central European official involved in defense planning told Newsweek.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in March it was in the "interest of all" for the F-35 to succeed, while British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard insisted the U.K. "maintains the freedom of action to operate the F-35 Lightning at a time and place of our choosing."
The Pentagon had not signaled any intention that the U.S. would restrict the use of partner nations' F-35s, the central European official said.
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to allude to this in remarks earlier this year. "Those who buy the F-35, we must offer them the Rafale," he said.
Some analysts say a handful of F-35s could do enough to enhance a fleet of less advanced aircraft. Carney has signaled that Canada is on the hook for 16 of the 88 F-35s.
But fifth-generation jets are really needed to tackle the most sophisticated air defense systems wielded by an enemy, said Andrew Curtis, a retired air commodore in the U.K.'s Royal Air Force (RAF)—something a Rafale or a Typhoon couldn't do nearly as well.
"Militarily, the last thing you want to be doing these days is having mixed fleets," Curtis told Newsweek. "If Canada is committed to buying 16, the chances are they'll buy all 88."
Operating just a few F-35s—rather than the full 88—would mean a massive hike in how expensive each jet is for Canada, which would still have to put in place all of the infrastructure, Bronk added. Ottawa would then have to work out how to make sure supply chains, logistics and training for entirely different types of aircraft are there, too, Bronk said.
"I suspect what they will find is that there are no good alternatives to proceeding with the F-35 procurement as planned, and that the fighter force is just unable to wait," Bronk said.
If Canada axed the majority of the on-order F-35s, it would still take the better part of a decade to build an operational fleet made up of different jets, like Sweden's Gripen, Blondin said.
Referring to canceling much of the F-35 order, Blondin added: "If you do this, you better have something else to fly with or to defend your country, because, next month, you may not have an airplane to do it."
Current and former officials, as well as industry sources, say doubts over the F-35 are generating more interest in nascent, European-led sixth-generation fighter jet programs.
There are plans to build several different sixth-generation fighters, which could slowly come into service in the mid-2030s. The U.S. has its Next Generation Air Dominance program, with its F-47 manned fighter jet, but the U.K., Italy and Japan are jointly working on the Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP, initiative currently expected to bear fruit in 2035. France, Spain and Germany are working on a separate program, although it is further behind than GCAP.
The central European official said they expected more countries to want to have a look-in at the development of next-generation aircraft, and particularly to have their domestic industry contribute to sixth-generation programs.
"Could Canada, in its desire to diversify its economy [and] diversify its defense, get onboard a six-generation program?" Blondin said.
The GCAP program, for one, has had significant interest from across the world and would not necessarily exclude late entrants to the project, but there is an acknowledgment that the more parties involved, the slower the progress will be.
It's understood the workload has already been divvied up, meaning while it's not impossible for new countries to join GCAP, it is more likely nations coming in later would be involved in other parts of sixth-generation technology, such as drones, rather than the jet itself.
But the French, German and Spanish program to develop a sixth-gen fighter and drones to go with it, known as FCAS, is likely more interesting to Canada for the time being, said Blondin.
"Can we get our industry to work into companion drones; can we get our industry involved in all of this?" Blondin added. "This is probably where Canada needs to go."
As in a month, they may not have fighters to defend the country, mentioned in the report.
Like who is going to attack Canada? But still.
article snip
The Case For F-35s
Simply put, there are no real fifth-generation alternatives for Western or partner militaries, to the F-35. While there are plenty of choices for fourth-generation jets, and upgraded versions known as 4.5 generation aircraft, all of the eggs for the most advanced generation of fighter aircraft are in the F-35 basket."There's no better military option," Blondin said.
Canada is expected to receive its first deliveries of F-35s next year but will have poured significant investment into putting the vast infrastructure in place in time for their arrival.
There are a host of other problems that Canada would court if it pulled out of the deal, from making it harder to work seamlessly with its allies to risking the wrath of Trump.
There is a pressing need for Canada to replace its moribund CF-18 fleet that cannot wait, experts say. Canada's Hornet aircraft have "been desperately in need of replacement for more than a decade," said Justin Bronk, a research fellow for airpower and military technology at the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
"The Canadian fighter force can't wait for another fighter procurement process," Bronk told Newsweek. "They just can't wait."
Other F-35 nations operating the jets in Europe have reassured one another they are still committed to the fifth-generation fighter jet, a central European official involved in defense planning told Newsweek.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in March it was in the "interest of all" for the F-35 to succeed, while British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard insisted the U.K. "maintains the freedom of action to operate the F-35 Lightning at a time and place of our choosing."
The Pentagon had not signaled any intention that the U.S. would restrict the use of partner nations' F-35s, the central European official said.
The Case Against F-35s
One school of thought suggests that Canada could supplement a handful of F-35s with a raft of fourth-generation fighters, like the Eurofighter Typhoon or French-made Rafale.French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to allude to this in remarks earlier this year. "Those who buy the F-35, we must offer them the Rafale," he said.
Some analysts say a handful of F-35s could do enough to enhance a fleet of less advanced aircraft. Carney has signaled that Canada is on the hook for 16 of the 88 F-35s.
But fifth-generation jets are really needed to tackle the most sophisticated air defense systems wielded by an enemy, said Andrew Curtis, a retired air commodore in the U.K.'s Royal Air Force (RAF)—something a Rafale or a Typhoon couldn't do nearly as well.
"Militarily, the last thing you want to be doing these days is having mixed fleets," Curtis told Newsweek. "If Canada is committed to buying 16, the chances are they'll buy all 88."
Operating just a few F-35s—rather than the full 88—would mean a massive hike in how expensive each jet is for Canada, which would still have to put in place all of the infrastructure, Bronk added. Ottawa would then have to work out how to make sure supply chains, logistics and training for entirely different types of aircraft are there, too, Bronk said.
"I suspect what they will find is that there are no good alternatives to proceeding with the F-35 procurement as planned, and that the fighter force is just unable to wait," Bronk said.
If Canada axed the majority of the on-order F-35s, it would still take the better part of a decade to build an operational fleet made up of different jets, like Sweden's Gripen, Blondin said.
Referring to canceling much of the F-35 order, Blondin added: "If you do this, you better have something else to fly with or to defend your country, because, next month, you may not have an airplane to do it."
Current and former officials, as well as industry sources, say doubts over the F-35 are generating more interest in nascent, European-led sixth-generation fighter jet programs.
There are plans to build several different sixth-generation fighters, which could slowly come into service in the mid-2030s. The U.S. has its Next Generation Air Dominance program, with its F-47 manned fighter jet, but the U.K., Italy and Japan are jointly working on the Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP, initiative currently expected to bear fruit in 2035. France, Spain and Germany are working on a separate program, although it is further behind than GCAP.
The central European official said they expected more countries to want to have a look-in at the development of next-generation aircraft, and particularly to have their domestic industry contribute to sixth-generation programs.
"Could Canada, in its desire to diversify its economy [and] diversify its defense, get onboard a six-generation program?" Blondin said.
The GCAP program, for one, has had significant interest from across the world and would not necessarily exclude late entrants to the project, but there is an acknowledgment that the more parties involved, the slower the progress will be.
It's understood the workload has already been divvied up, meaning while it's not impossible for new countries to join GCAP, it is more likely nations coming in later would be involved in other parts of sixth-generation technology, such as drones, rather than the jet itself.
But the French, German and Spanish program to develop a sixth-gen fighter and drones to go with it, known as FCAS, is likely more interesting to Canada for the time being, said Blondin.
"Can we get our industry to work into companion drones; can we get our industry involved in all of this?" Blondin added. "This is probably where Canada needs to go."
