Canada’s military eyeing futuristic fighter jets

David Pugliese
CanWest News Service


Tuesday, June 26, 2007



CREDIT: Wayne Cuddington/CanWest News Service
CF18 fighter pilot L/Col Alain Pelletier gets up close to a full scale mock up of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet which was presented at the Canadian Aviation Museum to local government and military officials. Pelletier is tasked with procurement for the Air Force and the F-35 is a potential replacement for the aging CF-18 fleet.

OTTAWA - Canada's military is earmarking almost $4 billion for the purchase of a fleet of futuristic fighter jets that will replace its CF-18s in the next decade.

The Canadian Forces are creating a new office in Ottawa in August to deal with its future fighter needs and plan how it will proceed with replacing existing CF-18 jets.

The government has committed to investing in the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter and an air force study produced last year determined the JSF best suited Canada's requirements at the most affordable price.

Canada has informed JSF builder Lockheed Martin that it plans to buy 80 aircraft with production to begin in 2014 and deliveries starting two years later. The Department of National Defence estimates the cost of 80 JSFs will be about $3.8 billion US.

Department officials, however, stress both the cost figure as well as the dates and numbers of aircraft needed are for planning purposes and may change. The government has not given final approval on any purchase, although it will have to decide by 2012 on how it will replace the CF-18s, officials say.

Australia has tentatively earmarked $9 billion to buy 100 JSFs, but could cut that in half if costs rise, according to Australian defence officials quoted last year in Aviation Week and Space Technology, a major U.S. industry publication.

Canadian documents obtained by CanWest News Service estimate the cost to replace the existing fleet of CF-18 fighter aircraft will be $10.5 billion.

Defence spokeswoman Tanya Barnes pointed out the $3.8-billion figure does not include additional costs such as training, sustainment and follow-on development. "It's an estimate based only on the fly-away cost of the individual aircraft," she added.

Canada has already invested $150 million in the JSF program. Late last year, the government decided to take part in the next phase of the aircraft's development, agreeing to invest around $500 million over the next 45 years to pay for the specialized production equipment.

Mike Slack, DND's director of continental materiel co-operation, said the next five years will be used to determine the requirements for a future fighter as well as dealing with issues such as whether manned aircraft or some other kind of technology can meet those needs.

Advances in unmanned fighter aircraft technology could also limit the number of JSF needed, some military observers have pointed out.

"One doesn't know where technology might end up in five years from now, for example, on unmanned tactical platforms and how many of the missions can be performed using unmanned capabilities versus manned tactical capabilities," Slack acknowledged. That type of dilemma is being faced by all nations interested in the JSF, he added.

The idea behind JSF is to produce in large quantities a high-tech, stealthy aircraft that, at a time of soaring costs for military equipment, is relatively affordable.

Government officials have promoted the benefits of the JSF program for Canada's aerospace industry.

They say Canadian firms have been awarded around 150 JSF contracts so far. Canadian industrial opportunities are expected to total more than $5 billion over the life of the JSF program. That total could increase if other nations decide to buy the fighter.

"There is nothing like this anywhere," Slack said. "This is the largest defence co-operative program ever undertaken by Canada and for that matter all the other countries involved in it."

But some analysts have challenged the wisdom of purchasing the JSF. In his new book, Intent for a Nation, Michael Byers argues that not only are none of the future contracts guaranteed for Canadian industry, but it is not certain that the JSF is the best equipment for the country's needs.

"What is certain is that the Canadian taxpayer will, once again, end up supporting the U.S. defence industry," writes Byers, a University of British Columbia international law professor.

Ottawa Citizen

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story ... b62&k=6369

Mike Slack, DND's director of continental materiel co-operation, said the next five years will be used to determine the requirements for a future fighter as well as dealing with issues such as whether manned aircraft or some other kind of technology can meet those needs.

Advances in unmanned fighter aircraft technology could also limit the number of JSF needed, some military observers have pointed out.

"One doesn't know where technology might end up in five years from now, for example, on unmanned tactical platforms and how many of the missions can be performed using unmanned capabilities versus manned tactical capabilities," Slack acknowledged. That type of dilemma is being faced by all nations interested in the JSF, he added.

...

But some analysts have challenged the wisdom of purchasing the JSF. In his new book, Intent for a Nation, Michael Byers argues that not only are none of the future contracts guaranteed for Canadian industry, but it is not certain that the JSF is the best equipment for the country's needs.

"What is certain is that the Canadian taxpayer will, once again, end up supporting the U.S. defence industry," writes Byers, a University of British Columbia international law professor.