Pressure increases on [Canada] to stay or leave F-35 program

Program progress, politics, orders, and speculation
User avatar
Forum Veteran
Forum Veteran
 
Posts: 883
Joined: 10 Feb 2014, 02:46

by geforcerfx » 09 Nov 2018, 15:58

citanon wrote:Have to say though, if the contest was to be decided on air show performance then the Rafale would have been hard to beat

What are the chances we'll ever see the F-35 in non gray colors?

Hopefully/ Probably never, the F-35 is built head to toe for Combat, not air shows.


Senior member
Senior member
 
Posts: 370
Joined: 04 May 2017, 16:19

by lbk000 » 10 Nov 2018, 02:13

I don't know if I trust em. :)
racecars.png


User avatar
Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 7505
Joined: 16 Oct 2012, 19:42

by XanderCrews » 11 Nov 2018, 20:24

https://ipolitics.ca/article/the-conseq ... -military/


Yet perhaps the most egregious example of politicization has been Canada’s CF-18 replacement, which is now the subject of an Office of the Auditor General investigation. It started with candidate Trudeau’s election promise to not buy the F-35 and to instead purchase a less costly alternative more suited for Canada’s needs. It was an ill-conceived promise, particularly with multiple assessments showing the F-35 as the most capable option, with the lowest lifetime cost. Ironically, the promised savings would be reinvested into the naval shipbuilding program, largely to the benefit of Irving Shipbuilding.

Undeterred, the government likely searched for a way to circumvent the procurement process to preclude an F-35 purchase. It soon announced that Canada had a capability gap, which it used to justify the interim buy of 18 Boeing Super Hornets. The alleged gap was a scenario where the RCAF was unable to defend North America and NATO allies simultaneously. However, the entire policy was inconsistent with the Liberal party’s electoral claim that Canada needed a more domestically focused fighter force or that no other military arm was called upon to respond to such an unlikely contingency. Even more galling was how operating two fighter aircraft fleets would exacerbate their capability gap and could eventually render the RCAF unable to defend Canada due to a lack of qualified personnel.

Amazingly, these considerations did not deter their efforts. It took a trade dispute with Boeing over Bombardier, and the likely sticker shock of their policy ($6.4 billion for 18 Super Hornets versus $9.0 billion for 65 F-35As), to force a reconsideration. The government’s response was to buy 35-year-old surplus and declared obsolete Australian Hornets to address their urgent capability gap while implementing a five year-competition process to replace the CF-18 fleet. The schedule illustrated further politicization, pushing back a potential decision well beyond the next federal election. Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands required on average two years to evaluate and select the F-35.

Much like with Admiral Norman, the Liberal government actively muzzled any potential criticism. It ignored military advice about the severe consequences of the interim buy and suppressed potential leaks by imposing an unprecedented gag order on procurement personnel. This damaged morale among RCAF personnel, who face the prospect of operating a 40-year-old fighter against cutting edge adversaries. Many are “voting with their feet” and retiring in disgust, stripping the military of critical experience and creating a real capability gap.



https://ipolitics.ca/article/the-conseq ... -military/

Good god
Choose Crews


User avatar
Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 28404
Joined: 05 May 2009, 21:31
Location: Australia

by spazsinbad » 11 Nov 2018, 22:07

"...This damaged morale among RCAF personnel, who face the prospect of operating a 40-year-old fighter against cutting edge adversaries. Many are “voting with their feet” and retiring in disgust, stripping the military of critical experience and creating a real capability gap."

They will be warmly welcomed by Britain which has changed rules the other day to accept OTHERs more easily. So it is meaning 'F-35Bs for him/her'. OR IF requiring warmer climes then it is 'F-35As in Oz for him/her'. Link to this UK effort:
05 Nov Armed Forces: Foreigners living abroad invited to join: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46092838


Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 9792
Joined: 19 Dec 2005, 04:14

by Corsair1963 » 12 Nov 2018, 01:46

It's clear what Trudeau's plan is. He will just run out the Fighter Competition until after he leaves office... :?


Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 5183
Joined: 13 Mar 2013, 08:31
Location: Finland

by hornetfinn » 12 Nov 2018, 13:27

Since Canada clearly also has Naval capability gap, there is combat proven (cough!) aircraft carrier available in Russia. Only has some fairly minor dents and scrapes. It would also provide Irving Shipbuilding decent amount of work to do for years... :P


Elite 3K
Elite 3K
 
Posts: 3059
Joined: 07 Jun 2012, 02:41
Location: Singapore

by weasel1962 » 12 Nov 2018, 14:21

If only there was a dry dock large enough...but never underestimate the ability of Russian carriers to operate as casinos. Atlantic City and Vegas beware.


User avatar
Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 5671
Joined: 02 Mar 2017, 14:29

by ricnunes » 12 Nov 2018, 16:27

hornetfinn wrote:Since Canada clearly also has Naval capability gap, there is combat proven (cough!) aircraft carrier available in Russia. Only has some fairly minor dents and scrapes. It would also provide Irving Shipbuilding decent amount of work to do for years... :P


And I heard that Russian aircraft it's now and recently "equipped" with a crane :mrgreen:
“Active stealth” is what the ignorant nay sayers call EW and pretend like it’s new.


Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: 20 Mar 2010, 10:26
Location: Parts Unknown

by mixelflick » 13 Nov 2018, 15:37

ricnunes wrote:
hornetfinn wrote:Since Canada clearly also has Naval capability gap, there is combat proven (cough!) aircraft carrier available in Russia. Only has some fairly minor dents and scrapes. It would also provide Irving Shipbuilding decent amount of work to do for years... :P


And I heard that Russian aircraft it's now and recently "equipped" with a crane :mrgreen:


So does anyone know if they're going to fix it? Better question: Why would they want to fix it??


User avatar
Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 28404
Joined: 05 May 2009, 21:31
Location: Australia

by spazsinbad » 20 Nov 2018, 20:48

Canadian watchdog sounds alarm over F-18 purchase, military priorities
20 Nov 2018 David Pugliese

"VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canada’s purchase of used F-18 aircraft from Australia will do nothing to boost the combat capability of its fighter jet fleet, as it would still lack pilots and technicians, and the current fleet of planes have not seen improvements for years, according to a Canadian watchdog report.

Canada currently operates a fleet of CF-18 fighters but is lacking in a plan to modernize those aircraft for modern warfare, reads the report released Tuesday by Auditor General Michael Ferguson.

"Flying the CF-18 until 2032 without a plan to upgrade combat capability will result in less important roles for the fighter force and will pose a risk to Canada’s ability to contribute to NORAD and NATO operations,” the report says, using an acronym for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. “Without combat upgrades, the CF-18 will be less effective against adversaries in domestic and international operations.”..."

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/global/the- ... riorities/

Canada’s CF-18 fleet unable to meet NORAD pledges due to lack of pilots and technicians
20 Nov 2018 Garrett Reim

"The Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of CF-18 fighter aircraft is unable to meet its commitments to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) due to a lack of pilots and technicians, according to a report by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

The problem is exacerbated by Ottowa’s aging fleet of 76 CF-18 aircraft, which were purchased in the 1980s, are in some cases nearly 20 years past their original expected replacement date and have not received a significant combat upgrade since 2008. What’s more, the Department of National Defence has no plan to upgrade the combat capability of the CF-18 fleet even though the aircraft are expected to fly until 2032, the date by which the RCAF expects to have replaced its fleet with new fighters.

The Government of Canada's stated intention is to have enough fighter aircraft available every day to meet the highest NORAD alert level and Canada’s NATO commitment at the same time. But the Auditor General’s report found that would require the National Defence to increase the number of fighter aircraft available for operations by 23%. Yet, it is difficult for the RCAF to improve its CF-18 availability because 8% of technician positions in CF-18 squadrons were vacant and 14% were filled by technicians not yet fully qualified to do maintenance.

“Since 2014, departures of experienced CF-18 technicians have reduced the overall expertise of the fighter force, which has negatively affected fleet maintenance,” says the Auditor General. “Because of these departures, from 2014 until 2018, the average maintenance hours needed for every hour that a CF-18 flew increased from 21 to 24. In addition, as the fleet ages, it will become more difficult and take longer for technicians to maintain the CF-18s.”...

the report found that in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal year, 28% of pilots flew fewer than the minimum 140h, partly a result of a shortage of technicians to maintain the aircraft. The RCAF is also dealing with a pilot shortage, with only 64% of the trained CF-18 pilots it needs to meet its commitments, says the Auditor General. However, National Defence is unlikely to be able to close the gap because pilots are also leaving the fighter force faster than new ones could be trained, the report says.

“According to National Defence, between April 2016 and March 2018, the Royal Canadian Air Force lost 40 trained fighter pilots and produced only 30 new ones. Since then, an additional 17 fighter pilots left or stated their intention to leave,” says the Auditor General...."

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... du-453792/


Forum Veteran
Forum Veteran
 
Posts: 563
Joined: 08 Feb 2011, 20:25

by luke_sandoz » 20 Nov 2018, 21:06

And in related news from the land of the Great White North and screwed up aircraft acquisition programs.

Seems when you invent a fake “Capability Gap” that backfires and results in creating an actual real capability gap because pilots and techs think it is a waste of time to stay with the RCAF and use obsolete equipment when they, as fully trained and qualified Air Force personnel, would be happily recruited by other Air Forces.

Like the USAF. And the RAF. And the RAAF.

The RCAF will get F-35s one way or the other :D




https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national ... -jet-plans
Attachments
E225B326-3CE6-4357-A69F-91799CCD0BD5.png


User avatar
Elite 5K
Elite 5K
 
Posts: 28404
Joined: 05 May 2009, 21:31
Location: Australia

by spazsinbad » 21 Nov 2018, 05:38

Auditor general trashes Liberal plan to keep CF-18s flying until 2032 [GOOD LINKS TO INFO IN ARTICLE Online]
20 Nov 2018 Murray Brewster

"Canada's auditor general has shot down the Liberal government's handling of the air force's aging CF-18s in a blistering report that raises questions about national security, and even long-term safety, regarding the viability of the country's frontline fighter jets. Auditor General Michael Ferguson's fall report, tabled Tuesday, methodically picks apart the recent policy change at the Department of National Defence, which requires the military to have enough warplanes to meet Canada's commitments to both NORAD and NATO at the same time.

From the get-go the policy was a non-starter, and the federal government knew it, said Ferguson. "The fighter force could not meet the requirement because National Defence was already experiencing a shortage in personnel, and the CF-18 was old and increasingly hard to maintain," said the audit. As of April 2018, the air force's CF-18 squadrons faced a 22 per cent shortage in technical positions — and a startling number of technicians were not fully qualified to do maintenance.

Fighter pilots are also in short supply. The air force is losing more of them than it is training each year; among those who do remain, almost one third do not get the required 140 hours of flying time per year. At a news conference following the release of the report, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan conceded that personnel shortages were identified "early on" after the Liberals took over in 2015....

Proposed solution 'will not help solve' issues
The auditor's report took issue with the Liberal government's strategy to fill the so-called capability gap by buying additional interim aircraft. The current proposal is to buy used Australian F-18s — of approximately the same vintage as Canada's CF-18s — and convert them for further use until the federal government completes the purchase of brand-new aircraft. This plan, the auditor's report said, "will not help solve either the personnel shortage or the aging fleet."

Ferguson said an earlier, $6.3 billion plan to buy 18 brand new Super Hornet fighter jets on an interim basis would have been even worse — and the government was told so in no uncertain terms by the air force….

..."National Defence did not have a plan to upgrade the combat capability of the CF-18 even though it will now have to fly until 2032," said the audit. "Without these upgrades, according to the department, the CF-18 will become more vulnerable as advanced combat aircraft and air defence systems continue to be developed and used by other nations." The fact that the CF-18s are not up to date means they will not be able to operate in certain environments where the risk of surface-to-air missiles or advanced enemy planes is great. That, in turn, "would limit Canada's contribution to NORAD and NATO operations," Ferguson said.

Sajjan said the department is looking at an upgrade to the combat systems. "We would love to be able to solve this problem immediately," he said." [DOH - F-35 anyone? Buehler? ANY ONE?]

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ag-cf-18s-1.4912813


Senior member
Senior member
 
Posts: 370
Joined: 04 May 2017, 16:19

by lbk000 » 21 Nov 2018, 07:53

Oh, now they're going to act outraged?


Elite 3K
Elite 3K
 
Posts: 3059
Joined: 07 Jun 2012, 02:41
Location: Singapore

by weasel1962 » 21 Nov 2018, 09:35

In audit speak, its SAD (aka "significant audit differences"...)


Senior member
Senior member
 
Posts: 256
Joined: 01 Nov 2008, 04:50
Location: Canadar

by pushoksti » 21 Nov 2018, 16:22

Come Monday nothing will change and people will stop caring. The two fighter bases will continue to bleed people because they are horrible to live in - think Fairbanks but for a decade minimum. If the F35 was bought tomorrow and they asked for volunteers I would say no, simply because that means another 10 years in Cold Lake. **** that place.


PreviousNext

Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests