Quote:
Originally Posted by Bindair Dundat
You didn't ask me but I'll throw down, regardless.
The reason we need these particular aircraft is interoperability within the rapidly evolving miasma that is the NORAD system. For better or for worse, this country is irrevocably committed to "honour" our end of the 50+ year old agreement that we as a nation are bound to.
In this particular environment we must have a machine that is going to be able to interface with the USAF's assets (F-22's, AWACS systems, ground/satellite based sensors and communications nodes, UAV's), both current AND future. The F-35's we will receive will meet these criteria off the shelf (and will be supported/upgraded, so as to continue to meet them) under the terms of the purchase agreement.
We already spent about $3.5 Billion dollars upgrading 80 of our CF-18's for this exact reason...there was no big screaming outburst from the "tree-huggers" when the IMP was funded in 2001. In fact, most people still think we're flying the same "clapped-out" F-18's we bought back in 1982-86.
This (in and of itself) speaks volumes about "joe six-pack's" qualifications when it comes to proffering commentary/judgment on a procurement such as this.
We do not get this same capability by going overseas and buying J39, Rafale or Typhoon (not without spending a buttload of additional cash buying avionics suites for them)...and these are really the only other sound options, now that the ideal one (a small fleet of F-22's) has been taken off the table.
I'm not trying to talk down to people, but the average civilian really doesn't have a clue about operational matters in the current environment, let alone the future one.
Let them do their job...The least we can do is give them the proper tools with which to do it.
<steps down off of the soap box> 
Edit: Yes "March hare", a line needs to be drawn but that's why people that know far more than me are the ones charged with "vetting" the economics of the program. What goes on in terms of "disclosure" is neither here nor there...it's politics. Let's go buy a "Eurosolution" for (20-25M per copy) cheaper and waste a ton of additional cash on a "made in Canada" solution to the above noted "issues"...we've already been down that road once or twice; it's been examined with this procurement and we're taking the best approach with it. |
Here is where I disagree, the reality is all we need jets for is so that our political masters can curry favour with the US's political masters by agreeing to take part in whatever hare brained scheme they have come up with, and realistically there will be few of these for the next decade or more, the US is broke and sick of wars.
We can just as easily be good allies by developing something of use to us, like a really well equiped armoured strike force and a decent air sea rescue and patrol capabilities. The latest jets and submarines are little more than vanity projects so our military doesn't feel embarressed when we go on excercises with the yanks.
We arn't going to 'need' these jets militarily, and we don't need the fully loaded options to fufill the political functions.