Canadian Military News

[CaptainCrunch]

Did you think he was going to actually be a good defense Minister?


We've had our share of bad defense ministers, but Saijan is outright one of the worst. It says a lot when I hold a crazy ufo believing Minister of national defense who folded all services into one service in higher regard.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Did you think he was going to actually be a good defense Minister?


We've had our share of bad defense ministers, but Saijan is outright one of the worst. It says a lot when I hold a crazy ufo believing Minister of national defense who folded all services into one service in higher regard.

He doesn't set the training calendar (at least I hope not), this is on Command for ####ing the dog.

That is a tonne of quality training that could have gone on, the more you sweat in training the less you bleed in combat.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

He doesn't set the training calendar (at least I hope not), this is on Command for ####ing the dog.

That is a tonne of quality training that could have gone on, the more you sweat in training the less you bleed in combat.

I would agree with you, however it just seems to be that this more then any other government has a Minister of Defense setting the pace and the priorities of the Chief of Defense Staff right to the fine minute details. So in this case, training and equipment procurement and how this military is supposed to fight and respond has been set aside in favor of reforming the military justice system and how it deals with gender and sexual harassment.

These are laudable things to work on, and I respect them for doing it, but they've to an extent lost a large part of the mission here.

I also believe that the combination of Jonathan Vance and our current Minister is a poor combination because both of them have the same weaknesses.

I tend to believe that the Minister really needs a strong minded CDS but we haven't had those since Natynczyk and Hillier, I also find it funny that we haven't had a CDS from Maritime Command since the late 90's.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Brutal, how do you leave that much training money on the table.

Easy. It wasn't training money (O&M). It was capital.

[Madman]

Canada adds another $54M to F-35 fighter jet project, bringing cost to $500M over 2 decades

https://globalnews.ca/news/4243206/c...et-54-million/

Yeah, why buy a jet that we've invested 1/2B into?

[dammage79]

Thats just the cost to stay on the list isn't it? I mean typical canadian government thing to do of course. Pay for something they'll never use.

I swear defense spending in the country is the easiest darn con job these guys have to just bleed money to wherever they want

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Madman

Canada adds another $54M to F-35 fighter jet project, bringing cost to $500M over 2 decades

https://globalnews.ca/news/4243206/c...et-54-million/

Yeah, why buy a jet that we've invested 1/2B into?

At the end of the day, I firmly believe that it would be insane for the Government not to buy the F-35.

With the Eurofighter production closing down and with the Rafale at the end of its life. The only real other option is the Griphen JAS-39, but capability wise, its not a real match for the F-35. With the F-35 pricing coming down to the mid 80's and the J-39 being between 60 and 65 million bucks, the pricing isn't that much of a chasm to me anyways.

Eurofighter - 2 of the 4 production lines are shutting down due to a lack of orders. Component manufacturing is also being suspended. More nations are opting for 5th generation fighters like the F-35.

Rafale - Don't get me wrong, its a nice fighter, but its at the end of its innovation cycle. We'd probably be looking at the C variant single seat airforce plane. But at a cost of about 69 million euros (80 million us), it doesn't have the advanced features set of an f-35.

Jas-39 - Called a smart fighter, and its a budget fighter, but still a 4th generation bird. If the Jas-39 is a smart fighter, the F-35 is its brilliant bigger brother with better sensors and interoperability suite, the J-35 is a maverick in the digital battlefield. Among its future features include the ability to control independent drones to extend its awareness. The f-35 also has a better disruption suite.

While the F-35 has had developmental problems. We have to remember that other advanced planes like the F/A-18 Hornet went through similar growing pains and became an airforce standout. The F-35 is coming online in the US airforce and has now seen combat with Israel, other nations are bringing them online as well.

The other option is the FA-18E/F Super Hornet. which is a advanced and larger variant of the F-18. Its had upgraded avionics and engines. But at the end of the day its still a gen 4 fighter, at a $70 million dollar per copy plane, its price tag isn't significant enough to make it a really strong choice over the F-35. In the digital battlefield it would probably be a great secondary plane in theatre in combination with the F-35 or F-22 who could scout and pinpoint the battlefield.

[dammage79]

Also, that was one of the Liberals campaign platforms going up against the PC's as well. saying it was dumb for the Harper gov to keep paying these payments to the f-35 program. Yet here we are with a lib majority doing the same dumb thing.

There are no parties in politics, just like there is no spoon in the matrix, it's all one big con.

[dammage79]

Maybe Canada should just wait for Japans gen 6 fighter. Get into bed with them.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Maybe Canada should just wait for Japans gen 6 fighter. Get into bed with them.

6? That's a long wait.

[CaptainCrunch]

We can't wait another decade or more.


The US airforce is looking at a 6th generation fighter to replace the F-15, while the Navy is looking to replace the Hornets and Super Hornets. Again we're talking about 15 years for development and then probably another 10 years for deployment.


Beyond that the 6th generation fighter is built around engines that are theoretical in nature and not due to begin development for another few years.

[speede5]

6th gen is where we start to go unmanned, this will drive the price down and performance up.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by speede5

6th gen is where we start to go unmanned, this will drive the price down and performance up.

Not really. 6th generation is built around net-centricity, or the advanced coordination of a lot of units through instant up to date information, improved suitability, theoretically the combination of stealth and low visual, Improving operational situational awareness, and improving the pilot system integration (think voice command to theoretical direct command), The ability to control multiple platforms from one plane (a Plane becomes a theoretical sqaudron by controlling drones). Integrated air defense, and also improved passive detective systems or low radiated sensors.



They have to be invulnerable to cyber attacks, while being able in theory to launch a cyber attack as well as conventional attack on its target or enemy.



In theory it has to be able to effectively counter measure directed energy weapons.


Unmanned based on AI is probably 7th generation. No military currently is going to trust a fleet of drone or autonomously controlled fighters in a environment where most of their enemies have a dedicated cyber hacking army. Plus the ability to conventionally go after command and control and communications hubs.


What you will see in 7th generation is a faster fusion between human and AI. The F-35 and the JAS-29 have this and I'm using the wrong term, but battle files that tell the plane how it should react to certain situations so it can give the pilot options. 6th generation fusion means that the plane will be able to command better countermeasures, and be able to provide the pilot with better information and options faster and in theory do things without the pilot interaction so he can focus on flying the plane.



That however does not mean that the pilot is going to need a USB port surgically implanted in his skull.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

That however does not mean that the pilot is going to need a USB port surgically implanted in his skull.

We have enough trouble with mask and helmet fits. I dread the day we have to plug in.


Lol

[undercoverbrother]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/soldie...ment-1.3961066

The order encompasses two types of rucksacks, including one that was first issued in 1982, as well as six-piece sleeping bag systems. Even sleeping bag liners have been recalled.

This is a good decision.

[2Stonedbirds]

Efforts made to encourage more recruitment from women, indigenous and visible minority groups falling short of set targets.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arme...ting-1.4691356

[CaptainCrunch]

I don't doubt that they're falling short, though the Forces has made good faith efforts in terms of things like Sexual harassment, they have a long ways to go.

However, i'm betting that overall across all of the demographics recruiting isn't going well. There's an institutional idea that you can join a military that's in rust out, that the government isn't supporting and it effects recruiting.

Also their recruiting selling job just hasn't been very good at all and its not reaching people.

Also the military is just not perceived as the cool job for adventurers anymore, and I would bet that most Canadian Youth would rather go and flip burgers then join.

One of the key debates now is allowing non citizens to join the military to bolster the numbers.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

One of the key debates now is allowing non citizens to join the military to bolster the numbers.

So change it back?

I joined in '89 and was only a landed immigrant.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

So change it back?

I joined in '89 and was only a landed immigrant.

Its not an outlandish idea, Canada's armed forces used to let you join if you came from a commonwealth country.


I would think that the logistical nightmare of doing background checks on people from other nations would be a major road block.


Maybe we should create a Canadian Foreign Legion, and let anyone join and give them the ability to change their names.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its not an outlandish idea, Canada's armed forces used to let you join if you came from a commonwealth country.


I would think that the logistical nightmare of doing background checks on people from other nations would be a major road block.


Maybe we should create a Canadian Foreign Legion, and let anyone join and give them the ability to change their names.

Aren't the Van Doos already a Canadian Foreign Legion?

I was a Commonwealth citizen.