The RCAF's Next Generation Fighter (CF-188 Replacement)

[Halifax Tar]

They order a new valve because the old one is leaking by slightly (meaning the valve seat/stem gasket inside is worn). They isolate the valve, drain the line into the bilge again, undo the cover of the valve with the handle on it (leaving the valve body in-line with the piping) and strip the new valve stem/handle from the new part they received, and put that on the old body that's still in-line. The new valve stem/handle has a new gasket that they transfer over, and they dump the old part in the box with the good bottom half that they never used, and send that back to return stores in about 3 years and 2 crews later when they find it under the bench in the stoker workshop.

Or something like that.

Never

 

[brihard]

A bit more detail from Politico. One of the waylaid parts may have been a cockpit canopy.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/18/congress-f-35-china-investigation-01083647

 

[NavyShooter]

Never

Often. From my experience at Returns.

Not my problem anymore though..... got any busted optics that need attention? NVG's, Elcans, etc?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Often. From my experience at Returns.

Not my problem anymore though..... got any busted optics that need attention? NVG's, Elcans, etc?

Every tech should do time in return stores...

Nah, I like my sights iron.

 

[dapaterson]

Every tech should do time in return stores...

Nah, I like my sights iron.

This is how I imagine you.

Türkiye's Yusuf Dikeç’s iconic pose takes sports world by storm

Yusuf Dikeç, whose unique shooting style helped secure a silver medal for Türkiye in the 10m mixed team air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has...

www.dailysabah.com

 

[Nvlgzr]

Did Trump really just allocate our future F35 production slots to Saudi Arabia or is that just more internet slop? I thought we weren’t ordering any more than 16 at this point.

Plus we’ve put down money on long lead items for a batch of 14

 

[Cloud Cover]

This is how I imagine you.

Türkiye's Yusuf Dikeç’s iconic pose takes sports world by storm

Yusuf Dikeç, whose unique shooting style helped secure a silver medal for Türkiye in the 10m mixed team air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has...

www.dailysabah.com

Isn’t he the guy the IOC refs stopped from lighting up a dart at the competition range?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Isn’t he the guy the IOC refs stopped from lighting up a dart at the competition range?

For the record, I quit the lungs darts 2 days after stalker went down.

But god damn, I do love that smell.

 

[MilEME09]

Our first F-35 just flew!

Canada’s First F-35 Conducts Maiden Flight

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s first F-35A Lightning II flew for the first time, marking a milestone in Canada’s controversial fighter acquisition program

theaviationist.com

 

[armrdsoul77]

I will miss the false canopy.

 

[RedFive]

View attachment 102367

I will miss the false canopy.

I miss being able to tell which countries plane you're looking at simply by how it was painted overall instead of squinting at tiny roundels because everybody's stealth coating is identical...

What's the deal with the tail number? Temporary? We change the way we number our aircraft?

Also... it drives me nuts they insist on painting the corporate Government of Canada branding on RCAF aircraft like that. Looks out of place on the F-35.

 

[ArmyRick]

Our first F-35 just flew!

Canada’s First F-35 Conducts Maiden Flight

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s first F-35A Lightning II flew for the first time, marking a milestone in Canada’s controversial fighter acquisition program

theaviationist.com

Lots of "elbows up" people are very upset on X and FB, they actually thought Canada wasn't getting these aircraft.

Me? Damn, hell ya. Need 87 more. AT least.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Lots of "elbows up" people are very upset on X and FB, they actually thought Canada wasn't getting these aircraft.

Me? Damn, hell ya. Need 87 more. AT least.

We wouldn’t be in the mess of having to buy fighters right now (with our backs against the wall), if successive governments, supported by the now “elbows up people”, had not continually kicked the fighter replacement project down the road…

 

[ArmyRick]

We wouldn’t be in the mess of having to buy fighters right now (with our backs against the wall), if successive governments, supported by the now “elbows up people”, had not continually kicked the fighter replacement project down the road…

Agreed. What still concerns me is that when Trump is gone, a certain segment of the population is going to be "Why spend money on defence?"

I tell people I know that "can't understand defence spending" that money spent on national defence is like insurance. You hate paying the bill and maybe don't think it is neccessary, but damn when you need it, your glad as F you have it.

Now on another note, the Mover and Gonky show (two former USN fighter pilots on Youtube with RCAF fighter friends) have said the F15EX would be the best choice for Canada's sovereign defence role.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Agreed. What still concerns me is that when Trump is gone, a certain segment of the population is going to be "Why spend money on defence?"

I tell people I know that "can't understand defence spending" that money spent on national defence is like insurance. You hate paying the bill and maybe don't think it is neccessary, but damn when you need it, your glad as F you have it.

Now on another note, the Mover and Gonky show (two former USN fighter pilots on Youtube with RCAF fighter friends) have said the F15EX would be the best choice for Canada's sovereign defence role.

Probably, but the F-15EX isn’t going to happen if the F-35 is just barely tolerated in Ottawa…

 

[ArmyRick]

Probably, but the F-15EX isn’t going to happen if the F-35 is just barely tolerated in Ottawa…

Lets say its 2028 and Trump is leaving. Carney swings a deal to get 5% of F15EX parts made here, brands it as "more Canadian jobs and strong sovereignty" or some similar bullshit.

Its all in the spin

 

[Good2Golf]

What's the deal with the tail number? Temporary? We change the way we number our aircraft?

We’ll see where this goes, but it could be the latest format for aircraft regs.

Historically, CAF/newRCAF aircraft registration used to be Cx-1## for the type designator and each aircraft had a ### fin number that combined with the type designator was that aircraft’s individual registration Cx-1#####, sometimes short-formed to just the numeric 1#####.

The CC-330 Husky (mil A330-based MRTT) changed that, in that the first number of the type designator changed from a 1 to a 3.

I doubt we’ll see use of the CF-1## format for the F-35 as the 135 type designator was already used for the Twin Huey, albeit as a CH-135 (vice potential CF-135). Same logic as why the CF-18 was actually type designated CF-188, as 118 was already taken by the CH-118 Iroquois (CUH-1H single Huey).

The letter A would be a new exception to the all-numeric six-numeral individual registration, but if the leading 1 to a 3 change happened, no reason why the A couldn’t also be a new version of CAF/RCAF type designation and individual
tail number/registration.

Also... it drives me nuts they insist on painting the corporate Government of Canada branding on RCAF aircraft like that. Looks out of place on the F-35.

That first ‘snuck’ onto CAF aircraft in ‘93, with Chretien’s pan-government rebranding. I was at an airshow and a civilian came up to me and asked what was with the ‘Canada Post’ writing on the aircraft (a VIP CC-144 Chllenger) beside mine (which didn’t yet have the new GoC letterhead ‘Canada’ painted on it)? It was the first time I had ever seen that. I laughed and said, “Hunh, I don’t know? I’ve never seen that before.” I still think it looks bureaucratically like a letterhead font.

 

[RedFive]

We’ll see where this goes, but it could be the latest format for aircraft regs.

Historically, CAF/newRCAF aircraft registration used to be Cx-1## for the type designator and each aircraft had a ### fin number that combined with the type designator was that aircraft’s individual registration Cx-1#####, sometimes short-formed to just the numeric 1#####.

The CC-330 Husky (mil A330-based MRTT) changed that, in that the first number of the type designator changed from a 1 to a 3.

I doubt we’ll see use of the CF-1## format for the F-35 as the 135 type designator was already used for the Twin Huey, albeit as a CH-135 (vice potential CF-135). Same logic as why the CF-18 was actually type designated CF-188, as 118 was already taken by the CH-118 Iroquois (CUH-1H single Huey).

The letter A would be a new exception to the all-numeric six-numeral individual registration, but if the leading 1 to a 3 change happened, no reason why the A couldn’t also be a new version of CAF/RCAF type designation and individual
tail number/registration.



That first ‘snuck’ onto CAF aircraft in ‘93, with Chretien’s pan-government rebranding. I was at an airshow and a civilian came up to me and asked what was with the ‘Canada Post’ writing on the aircraft (a VIP CC-144 Chllenger) beside mine (which didn’t yet have the new GoC letterhead ‘Canada’ painted on it)? It was the first time I had ever seen that. I laughed and said, “Hunh, I don’t know? I’ve never seen that before.” I still think it looks bureaucratically like a letterhead font.

Thanks for that, wait and see I guess.

Any idea how they decide what the fourth number in the sequence will be?

For example, CC-177 701. How did they decide the Globemaster should have 701 as its number instead of 501 or 901 or what have you? The Kingfisher is 5, the Aurora is 1, the Chinook is 3, I could go on. Makes no sense.

I know the CF-18 single seats are 7, and two seats are 9 and the Aussie museum pieces are 0. Just never made sense to me.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Lets say its 2028 and Trump is leaving. Carney swings a deal to get 5% of F15EX parts made here, brands it as "more Canadian jobs and strong sovereignty" or some similar bullshit.

Its all in the spin

I am a big fan of the F15X, but yea a decent sized chunk of the F35 is made here, I think we would need some F15X parts contracts and new POTUS that loves Canada to make our government even think about it.

 

[MacNav63]

Thanks for that, wait and see I guess.

Any idea how they decide what the fourth number in the sequence will be?

For example, CC-177 701. How did they decide the Globemaster should have 701 as its number instead of 501 or 901 or what have you? The Kingfisher is 5, the Aurora is 1, the Chinook is 3, I could go on. Makes no sense.

I know the CF-18 single seats are 7, and two seats are 9 and the Aussie museum pieces are 0. Just never made sense to me.

We’ll see where this goes, but it could be the latest format for aircraft regs.

Historically, CAF/newRCAF aircraft registration used to be Cx-1## for the type designator and each aircraft had a ### fin number that combined with the type designator was that aircraft’s individual registration Cx-1#####, sometimes short-formed to just the numeric 1#####.

The CC-330 Husky (mil A330-based MRTT) changed that, in that the first number of the type designator changed from a 1 to a 3.

I doubt we’ll see use of the CF-1## format for the F-35 as the 135 type designator was already used for the Twin Huey, albeit as a CH-135 (vice potential CF-135). Same logic as why the CF-18 was actually type designated CF-188, as 118 was already taken by the CH-118 Iroquois (CUH-1H single Huey).

The letter A would be a new exception to the all-numeric six-numeral individual registration, but if the leading 1 to a 3 change happened, no reason why the A couldn’t also be a new version of CAF/RCAF type designation and individual
tail number/registration.



That first ‘snuck’ onto CAF aircraft in ‘93, with Chretien’s pan-government rebranding. I was at an airshow and a civilian came up to me and asked what was with the ‘Canada Post’ writing on the aircraft (a VIP CC-144 Chllenger) beside mine (which didn’t yet have the new GoC letterhead ‘Canada’ painted on it)? It was the first time I had ever seen that. I laughed and said, “Hunh, I don’t know? I’ve never seen that before.” I still think it looks bureaucratically like a letterhead font.

As I've implied in a couple of other threads, the Canada wordmark as it's called drives me nuts, especially when it's so clearly overkill. The planes already have Canadian flags on the tail and RCAF-ARC on the fuselage. Oh, let's tell everyone it's Canadian by slapping the word Canada with a little flag flying from the tail of the d.

It smacks of national insecurity and it's particularly maddening living in Ottawa where it's slapped on everything. And usually it's beside a sign that already has another flag on it, along with the word Canada in the name of what ever org resides in a building. For decades our national unity strategy has been a branding strategy as a former colleague of mine once complained.