Air Force Declares the F-35A Combat Ready

[Akasa]

The F-35 will bring newfound capabilities to the USAF/N/MC, to be realized in an incremental but surefire manner.

No fourth-generation aircraft could hold a candle to the Lightning's AN/APG81 AESA radar and its one-of-a-kind EODAS sensors that provide all-aspect situational awareness without alerting the enemy. The Su-35 would be out-ranged, out-gunned, and out-scrutinized before it could effectively employ its main selling points (TVC & high sustained turning rates). Not even the J-11D, which has a more powerful AESA radar and potentially equivalent engines, would be able to sustain a one-on-one fight with the F-35.

It's quite a embarrassment what a quagmire Canada's F-35 procurement had become, and could've been, thanks to Trudeau's shortsighted cancellation.

 

[Oldman1]

The F-35 will bring newfound capabilities to the USAF/N/MC, to be realized in an incremental but surefire manner.

No fourth-generation aircraft could hold a candle to the Lightning's AN/APG81 AESA radar and its one-of-a-kind EODAS sensors that provide all-aspect situational awareness without alerting the enemy. The Su-35 would be out-ranged, out-gunned, and out-scrutinized before it could effectively employ its main selling points (TVC & high sustained turning rates). Not even the J-11D, which has a more powerful AESA radar and potentially equivalent engines, would be able to sustain a one-on-one fight with the F-35.

It's quite a embarrassment what a quagmire Canada's F-35 procurement had become, and could've been, thanks to Trudeau's shortsighted cancellation.

Could have just gone to the Advanced Super Hornet. Sure its not 5th gen, but Canada will have a capable fighter for decades to come.

And the reasons are that the pilots are already familiar with the Hornet and its cheaper and will be able to get the fighters pretty quick.

 

[Akasa]

Could have just gone to the Advanced Super Hornet. Sure its not 5th gen, but Canada will have a capable fighter for decades to come.

And the reasons are that the pilots are already familiar with the Hornet and its cheaper and will be able to get the fighters pretty quick.

A "4+" generation option would have more sense if it weren't for the fact that the DND has already invested so much money (~$309M) in the F-35 program. Slashing the F-35 tender would incur penalties from Lockheed as well as put to waste funds that already went into the program. Moreover, there is a human cost to canceling a program that has employed many Canadians.

Now that the Liberals have set to scrap the plan, Canada would essentially have no choice but to look for non-5th-generation alternatives. The Super Hornet would facilitate the transition for current CF-18 pilots, more so than other platforms, whilst providing very decent capabilities. However, from a personal perspective, the F-15SE seems to be the ideal option given its long combat radius, payload, and a very negotiable price due to nonexistent demand thereof.