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Trump
The RCAF's Next Generation Fighter (CF-188 Replacement)
- Thread starter WingsofFury
- Start date
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
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no no fuck no.
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Interesting article - from the "US Air Education and Training Command" - where the US Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra says, quote - “This visit reflects the enduring defense partnership between Canada and the United States,” said the Honorable Peter Hoekstra, U.S. Ambassador to Canada." and “Training together at Luke strengthens interoperability and helps ensure our air forces are ready to operate as one team when it matters.”
56th Fighter Wing Commander Brig. Gen. David Berkland - “We’re proud Luke will be part of Canada’s path to fifth-generation readiness,” and further to this, “Training alongside our Canadian teammates strengthens interoperability from day one; shared standards, shared tactics and a shared ability to execute together if called.”
Hoekstra also highlighted the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Canada, particularly through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and discussed how fifth-generation capabilities contribute to NORAD modernization through advanced sensing and information-sharing.
“This partnership has always been about more than proximity, it’s about shared responsibility,” Hoekstra said. “As Canada brings the F-35 online, training with the United States will help ensure our forces can seamlessly defend North America.”
56th Fighter Wing Commander Brig. Gen. David Berkland - “We’re proud Luke will be part of Canada’s path to fifth-generation readiness,” and further to this, “Training alongside our Canadian teammates strengthens interoperability from day one; shared standards, shared tactics and a shared ability to execute together if called.”
Hoekstra also highlighted the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Canada, particularly through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and discussed how fifth-generation capabilities contribute to NORAD modernization through advanced sensing and information-sharing.
“This partnership has always been about more than proximity, it’s about shared responsibility,” Hoekstra said. “As Canada brings the F-35 online, training with the United States will help ensure our forces can seamlessly defend North America.”
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Meanwhile the CBC mines the interview to craft a controversy.
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Carney needs to put this issue to rest already.
Canadians 'attitude' towards the US is not going to improve over the next 6-8 months while the CUSMA talks are ongoing. If anything, they will trend worse before they trend better. The longer that this issue is open and festers, the harder it will become to address. Rip the band aide off now and make an announcement. The decision, whatever it is, has mostly likely already been made.
They are all in the same boat as us.
Nope. There's no point playing their hand until they can see what LockMart can offer. I'm no fan of the Gripen. But if the government is going down this path, they might as well leverage as much as they can.
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I'm sure that there is a 'drop dead date' on someone's calendar that relates to when our current number of active CF18's, our current readiness/availability, falls below a certain threshold based on the arrival of new F35's or other airframes coming online in the RCAF. The date must be fast approaching.
If Trump allows Turkey back into the F35 fold and 'fast tracks' their planes into the production line, this may force our hand as well.
The first 16 are paid for. First 4 are coming into service this year. The remaining 12 are being delivered over the next two years. Really, this is about how many we take in each year from 2029 onwards. The payments for those aircraft are probably due Fall 2026 to early 2027. We probably need 50-60 to declare FOC and fully retire the CF-18. But that number only works if we're immediately going to to start taking in more numbers of something else. The rumoured 40 F-35s is a problematic number. Not enough to retire the Hornet. Which means having to operate three fleets at the same time. A dual fleet isn't ideal. But if they are going to do it, the sensible way is probably 60 F-35s and then 60-70 Gripens sequenced after the Hornet retirement. And total fleet would absolutely have to increase to 130-150 aircraft.
It's really not a huge deal. The US flexes their deliveries to accommodate allied orders. For them keeping the line going is more important than the exact number they take in a given year. And given that the line is producing 148 aircraft a year, them getting 20-30 less aircraft some years, is really not that big a deal to them. The USAF alone has about 500 F-35s in service. They really won't get stressed out if they have 30 fewer deliveries per year for 3-4 years. This is partly why they are reacting so strongly to the potential of F-35 order cuts. It means the US itself has to buy more planes to keep the order pipeline full.
