The total cost to Canada of the development, acquisition, operations and sustainment of the F-35 is $73.9 billion over a 45-year period.

During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau vowed that his government would never purchase the F-35.

As prime minister, Trudeau continued to point out the Canadian military had no need for the F-35. “Canadians know full well that, for 10 years, the Conservatives completely missed the boat when it came to delivering to Canadians and their armed forces the equipment they needed,” Trudeau said in June 2016. “They clung to an aircraft (the F-35) that does not work and is far from working.”

The Liberal government also noted the F-35’s “stealth first-strike capability” was not needed to defend Canada.

But Trudeau flipped on his election promise, not only committing to the purchase but increasing the number of jets from the 65 the Conservatives had wanted to buy to 88.

  • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
    181·
    1 year ago

    With the shit that Russia is pulling now, we’re going to be very glad we have these.

    Stealth isn’t just a “first strike capability”, it’s the cornerstone of all modern combat. The way you win any fight, on the ground, at sea, or in the air, is by being able to engage the enemy before they can engage you.

    Right now Russia does not have a true stealth capable fifth gen fighter. The SU-57 is, even according to Russia’s numbers, “low visibility” at best. And Russia has maybe six of those. With the F-35 Canada outmatches every single plane Russia is capable of putting in the sky, to an absolutely ridiculous degree.

    I don’t like the fact that we have to think about questions like “What if Putin goes so far into crazy town that he actually launches an invasion of Canada through the Arctic”, but recent events have demonatrated that that possibility really does exist, and we need to plan for it. Or, at least, we need to make the prospect so unpalatable that he wouldn’t consider it.

    And to head off a couple of obvious questions:

    “But the Philippines just defeated a stealth plane using a regular jet.”

    It was carrying drop tanks. Under no real peer-to-peer combat scenario would that plane ever be carrying drop tanks. They completely ruin the stealth capabilities of the craft. Where Russia historically inflates the capabilities of their equipment, America does the opposite, always making their top tier stuff seem worse than it is so that no one can plan to beat it.

    “But I’ve heard that the F-35 was an expensive disaster that can’t do anything well.”

    The man you heard this from, once you trace the claim back to its source, will inevitably turn out to have been Pierre Sprey. Sprey got a lot of time on CNN and other news shows (including, frequently, Russia Today) as an “expert”. He is not. He claimed to have designed the F-15, the F-16, and the A-10. In reality he sat in on one meeting about the F-15, and had basically nothing to do with the other projects.

    Sprey was (he died a couple of years ago) a lunatic who believes that modern technology is too complicated and holds back the capabilities of well trained soldiers. You know, modern technology like radar and missiles. Sprey genuinely advocated for all aircraft to be replaced with single seat fighters armed with a cannon and nothing else (look up the “Blitz fighter”). He was an idiot who somehow lied his way into a career as an expert on TV despite having no actual expertise. The world is better for his passing.

    • corsicanguppy
      32·
      1 year ago

      Never thought Fat Amy would outclass anything, that boondoggle.

      Hey. Remember when the oxygen was broken?!?

      • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        1 year ago

        In direct air to air engagements Fat Amy outclasses everything except the F-22, and Congress has made it illegal for us to buy the F-22 (which, btw, was the plane with the broken oxygen, not the F-35).

    • zephyreks
      1·
      1 year ago

      There’s already been a confirmed F-35 damaged by a “bird strike” over Syria… The F-35 was certified against bird strikes to a higher standard than most other American jets. Given the amount of lies coming out of the IDF in the Gaza conflict, I wouldn’t be surprised if the F-35 was targettable by Russian S-200/S-300 systems and the IDF is covering it up to avoid absolutely destroying the international reputation of the F-35.

      The problem is, Canadian F-35 operations in the Arctic (really, the only area we have to defend against Russia) would almost certainly require drop tanks. In that scenario, the F-35 is fucked. This is even as F-35 maintenance requires the use of American military contractors that can be weeks or even months away, particularly if we do decide to operate F-35s out of Arctic bases.