This article actually has two news items in it.
The first is that the Liberals were warned by PricewaterhouseCoopers that sole-source contracts are idiotic.
The second is:
The government says there is looming capability gap when it comes to the CF-18s, which has caught observers and the opposition by surprise, since the previous Conservative government decided to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the jets flying until at least 2025. The Commons defence committee was told last month it would cost about $400 million to overhaul the 77 CF-18s.
Which, to me, reads a lot like helicopters.
Liberals in majority governments do not listen to experts or anyone else, they do whatever it takes to keep power and control. We have examples of that in the extreme in the province of Ontar-i-owe, where the leader shilled for Trudeau and the Liberals in the last election.
There is a host of things wrong here. First this:
“These jets (the CF-18s) should have been replaced a long time ago,”
Not a hint of course that Liberal defense policies are responsible for most of the capital spending by the armed forces over the past 25 years. Not a hint that Liberal delays are the reason that 30 years after their expiry date, we’re still using Sea Kings.
Then this:
“That list included reducing the government’s reliance on sole-sourced contracting and ensuring independent military specialists respected by government and industry reviewed costs to make sure they weren’t inflated.”
At least four years of study, which means the Libs won’t have to make any commitments about replacement for this term. Let’s be blunt here: the Libs have no intention of doing any big military contracts at all. It diminishes from the pile of cash they want to waste on things like AGW or their preferred ‘consultants’ and social groups and calling it infrastructure spending.
So instead of spending $400million to refurbish/upgrade the 60 to 80 F18s we have that are potentially worth keeping in service until a proper replacement can enter service, the Liberals would buy us how many SuperHornets at $50million each for that interim? Eight new planes?
And here’s a multiple choice question: When the SuperHornets arrive, will PM Trudeau II go for a selfie in the cockpit of one?
A. Yes
B. Oh yes
C. Of course
D. All of the above
Whip out the superhornet and show us how BIG it is, notorious JustHair…
Once upon a time there used to be a superpower — the USSR — with the planet’s most formidable radar network. So formidable was this radar network that it was easily breached by a German teenager in a Cessna F172P thus succeeding where General Heinz Guderian failed — reaching Moscow.
One not so fine morning the USSR lay on the ashheap of history. The most formidable radar network didn’t look so threatening any more after all. But the US Military Industrial Complex still chose to build an airplane that could penetrate it. They chose to develop a stealth airplane — an aircraft that does not show up on radar. (All fighters are invisible to radar, as long as you hug the ground. The Israelis proved this in June 1981 by flying their F-15/16s 30-35 feet above ground while en route to Iraq’s reactor complex during a 1,300 mile flight.)
This stealth airplane — the F-35 — is the costliest weapons system in human history. It’s available for export. (The F-22 Raptor is a cooler plane, which is why the Americans won’t export it.)
The principal selling point of the F-35 is its invisibility to radar. The principal threat that the MIC hypes is the threat from terrorist organisations e.g. Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram etc. But there is a slight problem. These organisations don’t have radar! (Taliban’s ‘radar operators’ must be shaking in their sandals when the US chose a radar-invisible plane.)
Russia is the largest country in the world. It used to have a chunk of North America too. But it was too much to manage so the Russians let it go. Is Russia interested in grabbing land in North America? Judging by its spin-off of Alaska it is unlikely that it would over-extend itself again. (Since 1989 the USSR/Russia has lost more territory than it has gained.)
The F-35 will not be the mainstay of the Israeli Air Force. Perhaps we should consider that before burning taxpayer money on the non-solution of a non-problem.
A lot can change during the service life of an aircraft. Stealth is desirable for obvious reasons and the other major players are all developing and deploying stealth aircraft. BTW the Israelis are buying the F-35.
Anyway it’s clear as day that the liberals will delay every procurement indefinitely while blaming the conservatives for letting the military languish and the media slimebags will play it up for them.
other major players are all developing and deploying stealth aircraft
You don’t compare aircrafts with aircrafts. You compare aircrafts with air defence.
the Israelis are buying the F-35
Token amount yes, mainstay no.
In 2008 the IAF successfully took out Syria’s under construction reactor without any stealth aircraft.
The nature freaks and the granola munchers claim sattlite data is wrong Yeah coming from a whole bunch of back to nature freaks Lets ee old maw nature throw them a fastball and they strike out again
The Liberals are listening to this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o
No worries.
The plural of “aircraft” is “aircraft”. Same word for singular and plural. Same for watercraft, hovercraft, tradecraft, any kind of craft. This is language usage this is normally covered in Grade two if not before.
Thank you.
…and military grade encryption wasn’t available to the general public 15 years ago.
…nor the GPS that makes every commercial airplane in the world work.
…lasers in the checkout aisle.
…drones
And from another vector, tell me again how the Russians lost so many helicopters in Afghanistan? I think it rhymes with ‘manpad’.
Rizzy, you really are a dumb as a box of rox. Stealth also “fools” missile guidance systems, you know the ones the Russkies have in their missiles, and their planes.
and when the 16s and A10s wup the hell outa the Tallybanners, they need aircover, 35s or 22s would do that just nicely. And be much safer because they are not a big radar foot print. U seem to forgit that a lot of Pakis and Iranians don’t luv mericans
Seeing as the Russians have been testing other countries borders lately, those 22s and 35s may just come in handy. Also, Israel will buy 35s once obungles is gone, and no, they will only be special purpose additions to the IAF, they have superior 15s,(they install their own avionics), which they will keep using.
When ignoramuses like you try to analyze military needs, you out do the bugs bunny show for comical
You nailed it. We can debate the merits of various aircraft til the cows come home, but after PM Empty Suit and his handler Butts finish their first term at the trough we will still be flying Sea Kings and the few serviceable F-18s we have left will be leaving rainbow contrails in the sky over Hog Town.
Not even four. The US most recently appropriated funds for some more Super Hornets at $85 million apiece (US dollars, so $110 million CDN).
“by flying their F-15/16s 30-35 feet above ground while en route to Iraq’s reactor complex during a 1,300 mile flight”
????? is this true? hoooooly schamoly. that must have reqd some sort of auto-altitude adjustment assist. a tradeoff no doubt between keeping up the speed but not so fast the changes in the flaps would cause too great an altitude change.
any citation for this?
The world of threats to the US is an illusion
this world of threats is an illusion. The United States has no potent enemies. We are not only safe, but safer than any big power has been in all of modern history.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/11/have-seen-enemies-and-they-weak/Cho9J5Bf9jxIkHKIZvnVTJ/story.html
In all probability the Israelis flew a great deal of the flight course to Iraq at 30-60 feet, but never more than 200 feet, depending on the terrain.
Two Minutes Over Baghdad (2nd Ed.) by Amos Perlmutter, Michael Handel and Uri Bar-Joseph
page 105