What happens if.....Saab Gripen

[Kirkhill]

You know that your guy could have just bought the F35, right?

Right.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

You know that your guy could have just bought the F35, right?

Cuz your guy would have let that happen without further using it against him in the last election... :

(Yes, I realize it is incumbent on the guy in charge to get things done- not on the opposition to let things happen...)

 

[Altair]

Cuz your guy would have let that happen without further using it against him in the last election... :

(Yes, I realize it is incumbent on the guy in charge to get things done- not on the opposition to let things happen...)

As long as we all agree that it's all about politics.

CPC didn't want to lose points and the LPC used it to gain points.

 

[PuckChaser]

As long as we all agree that it's all about politics.

CPC didn't want to lose points and the LPC used it to gain points.

Completely agree. Everything about CAF procurement is politics. Look at NSBP, we could have gotten better deals elsewhere.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

As long as we all agree that it's all about politics.

CPC didn't want to lose points and the LPC used it to gain points.

Fair enough.

 

[Altair]

Altair - Google "Last Manned Fighter".  You will find that sub-text in all the discussions about the F-35 going back to the JSF competition.  That is why the competition is and was so hard fought.  The odds were high that the F-35 was going to be the last of the fighters.  The company that won the competition got to live. The rest had to figure out what to do next.  They are still figuring.

Meanwhile, the F-35 is already entering into its third iteration - if it ends up being re-engined before it gets out of LRIP.

And that is not an impossibility.

The original engine was designed against paper specs.  The paper specs came up short and the engine came up short.

Now there is real chunk of metal in the air and the engine engineers know how much more thrust they need, how much space they have, where the hardpoints are for bolting on the new engine, and the size of the gas tank.

Confronted with known unknowns life becomes manageable.

Spitfires were powered by 12 different variants of the Rolls Royce Merlin, and 4 different variants of the Rolls Royce Griffon.

I'll look it up. Need to late night reading material. And it would be nice to know a bit more about plane that is the subject of so much conflict.

Whatever is in it though, won't change the fact that the new government won't buy it.

From a amateurs perspective, the other planes, while not as good as the F35, seem to be capable weapons platforms. I don't buy the interoperability argument, seeing as how I'm sure that European fighters will be able to operate with future fleets of American f35s without too many issues.

Many countries are buying/developing fighters other than the F35, I doubt that every other other fighter is junk.

 

[Kirkhill]

I'll look it up. Need to late night reading material. And it would be nice to know a bit more about plane that is the subject of so much conflict.

Whatever is in it though, won't change the fact that the new government won't buy it.

From a amateurs perspective, the other planes, while not as good as the F35, seem to be capable weapons platforms. I don't buy the interoperability argument, seeing as how I'm sure that European fighters will be able to operate with future fleets of American f35s without too many issues.

Many countries are buying/developing fighters other than the F35, I doubt that every other other fighter is junk.

Keep this up and you will be in the running for Liberal Minister of Defence.  One of their past efforts was a Corporal in the RCAF.  Corporals make excellent leaders of nations as well.

 

[Altair]

Keep this up and you will be in the running for Liberal Minister of Defence.  One of their past efforts was a Corporal in the RCAF.  Corporals make excellent leaders of nations as well.

Who said I was a corporal??? ???

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Who said I was a corporal??? ???

I think he was referring to Paul Hellyer- not you.

 

[Underway]

The problem is the main arguments in favour of the F-35 are basically regarding its ECM, data management and sharing and other electronics stuff.  Which of course are classified.  Also the other main problem is that the RCAF don't/won't/can't have the ability to speak directly to the public/senate etc... about why the aircraft is needed.  If the head of the RCAF came out publically and said these are the reasons why we thought the F-35 was the best and only option then a lot of Canadians would listen or at least understand.  If the gov't decides otherwise that's fine.

As for the Saab Gripen don't buy it.  It's a paper air plane right now, even further behind the F-35 in development (though it is an easier design process).  It's range is questionable and its specifically designed for the Swedish situation, much like this nice but specific design.  If you're going to look at other aircraft its down to the Raf, F-18, Eurofighter.

 

[Good2Golf]

Keep this up and you will be in the running for Liberal Minister of Defence.  One of their past efforts was a Corporal in the RCAF.  Corporals make excellent leaders of nations as well.

Godwin?  This thread barely started...

 

[Kirkhill]

Godwin?  This thread barely started...

Godwin?  Who said Godwin?  I was thinking of a nasty, wee Corporal with aspirations to global empire and golden chamberpots..... from Corsica. 

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Which only goes to show how easy it is to mix one's corporals up.  :nod:

 

[Good2Golf]

Godwin?  Who said Godwin?  I was thinking of a nasty, wee Corporal with aspirations to global empire and golden chamberpots..... from Corsica. 

Ah...wasn't picking up the undertone of retirement in Club Corsica.  Was thinking more of a 'downfall' than 'retirement.'  ;D

 

[Edward Campbell]

Ah...wasn't picking up the undertone of retirement in Club Corsica.  Was thinking more of a 'downfall' than 'retirement.'  ;D

Well, to meet one's Waterloo, is, now, a synonym for downfall.  :nod:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well this will be the hanger floor on day one

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

They say that the Gripen (or Griffon ... How many griffon can the CF have at the same time ?) can be serviced and turned around on a back street by reservists with a few days of training only. So the instructions must be in English for that one  ;D

 

[CougarKing]

For those anticipating the Gripen E:

AIonline

Bullish Saab Sets Rollout Date For Gripen E
by Chris Pocock
- February 22, 2016, 8:19 AM
Saab is discussing the sale of six more Gripens to Thailand.


Saab will roll out the first Gripen E version at Linkoping, Sweden on May 18, said Richard Smith, the company’s head of marketing and sales for the combat aircraft. In a bullish briefing at the Singapore Airshow last week, Smith said that thanks to the 60 new-build E/F jets for Sweden, plus the Brazilian Gripen order and other surveillance and submarine programs, the Swedish company’s backlog was at an all-time high of $13.5 billion. The Gripen thus has a guaranteed long-term future, and the sales goal was “at least 300 more,” Smith said.

Smith described the “huge technical transfer program” associated with the Brazilian acquisition of Gripen. This includes 50 key projects in four categories, and is an expanded version of the model used in South Africa’s Gripen deal. Last October, the first 48 of an eventual 350 Brazilian engineers arrived in Sweden to work on the project. Fifteen of the expected 36 Gripens to be acquired by Brazil will be built by Embraer at a Development Center to be established at Gaviao Peixato. The center will also help develop the two-seat Gripen F and integrate weapons. There had been no slow-down of the Brazilian program, despite that country’s recent economic difficulties, Smith told AIN.  Preliminary design of a Sea Gripen version had been completed, with a potential Brazilian requirement in mind, Smith said. “Now we must do a market analysis,” he added.

(...SNIPPED)