Canada pulls back from interim Super Hornet purchase

[A.P. Richelieu]

June 9/17: Canada has decided to pull back

from its plan to procure 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters as an interim replacement for its CF-18 successor program. Instead, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has unveiled a new defense plan which calls for 88 new fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force – an increase from the previous government’s plan to purchase 65 jets – and to recapitalise the Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora anti-submarine warfare and surveillance fleet. The news comes amid a row between the Canadian government, Boeing, and Bombardier, after the US company accused Bombardier of “dumping” its CSeries jet onto the US market.

Full Article:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/canada-preparing-to-replace-its-cf-18-hornets-05739/

 

[Cell_DbZ]

So back to the f-35 then?
I don't really see them buying european

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

So back to the f-35 then?
I don't really see them buying european

A quick decision/delivery is not in favour of Gripen E, due to availability.
A smart F-35 buyer would wait until Block 4 is available to avoid upgrade costs,
but that may take longer than the Gripen E.
Life extension of CF-18s would benefit both.

 

[Cell_DbZ]

A quick decision/delivery is not in favour of Gripen E, due to availability.
A smart F-35 buyer would wait until Block 4 is available to avoid upgrade costs,
but that may take longer than the Gripen E.
Life extension of CF-18s would benefit both.

That would be good solution. But aren't the Canadians pushing for new fighters, or is it not that urgent?

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

That would be good solution. But aren't the Canadians pushing for new fighters, or is it not that urgent?

Boeing sued Canadair for dumping prices on their Passenger Jets.
The Canadian response was to can the Super Hornet deal.
If the lawsuit continues, maybe they drop all US fighters.

 

[Super Falcon]

Gripen matches the needs of Canadian airforce it gives Canada low cost fighter jet with same quality of F 18 Hornet

Gripen is far better than F 18

 

[Penguin]

Why not a lease rather than a purchase?

 

[Gomig-21]

A quick decision/delivery is not in favour of Gripen E, due to availability.
A smart F-35 buyer would wait until Block 4 is available to avoid upgrade costs,
but that may take longer than the Gripen E.
Life extension of CF-18s would benefit both.

I would agree. From the few times I've seen Canadian pilots fly their CF-18's, they were impressive.

Couple of years ago this fella put on one heck of a show, just as good as the USN pilots do with the Super Hornet.

Gripen matches the needs of Canadian airforce it gives Canada low cost fighter jet with same quality of F 18 Hornet

Gripen is far better than F 18

So which one is it, same quality or far better?

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

I would agree. From the few times I've seen Canadian pilots fly their CF-18's, they were impressive.

Couple of years ago this fella put on one heck of a show, just as good as the USN pilots do with the Super Hornet.

View attachment 404756 View attachment 404757



So which one is it, same quality or far better?

You can have two things which has the same quality, but capabilitywise are very different.
The P-51 Mustang was high quality, but does not have the same capabilities of a modern jet fighter.

 

[Penguin]

The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) (formerly Canadian Forces Air Command) fighter aircraft, based on the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter. The original CF-18 as delivered is largely identical to the F/A-18A and B models. Note the fake cockpit painted on the belly.

 

[Gomig-21]

You can have two things which has the same quality, but capabilitywise are very different.
The P-51 Mustang was high quality, but does not have the same capabilities of a modern jet fighter.

Thanks. That might be the case with a P-51 and an F-16 due to leaps and bounds in years of advancement in technology, but hardly accurate for a comparison between the F-18 SH and the Gripen. If anything, the F-18 is better in some areas while the Gripen exceeds in others. To say the F/A-18 SH is of the same quality yet far inferior to the Gripen is not accurate at all.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Thanks. That might be the case with a P-51 and an F-16 due to leaps and bounds in years of advancement in technology, but hardly accurate for a comparison between the F-18 SH and the Gripen. If anything, the F-18 is better in some areas while the Gripen exceeds in others. To say the F/A-18 SH is of the same quality yet far inferior to the Gripen is not accurate at all.

This is a Sandvik Saw. It is considered to have very high Quality.
It does not follow that it is superior to Gripen of the same Quality.

 

[Gomig-21]

This is a Sandvik Saw. It is considered to have very high Quality.
It does not follow that it is superior to Gripen of the same Quality.

Hahaha, excellent. I think I used to have one of those in my shop collection. The ones I have now are Stanley. Not as durable as a Sandvik, they get dull quicker.

There is something to be said for the Gripen being a little over half the cost of a Super Hornet. Dual engines might serve the Hornet better, plus the AN/APG-79 is superior to the Raven ES-O5. Maneuverability goes to the Gripen but the Super Hornet is no slouch, either. I think the edge also goes to the S. Hornet in terms of it's avionics suite/package. Plus Canada has experience with the F/A-18 and proximity as well as all the closely related missions it performs with the US makes it the better choice (commonality), second to your suggestion of a life extension to the existing CF-18's.

I've always admired the entire line of SAAB aircraft, especially the Viggen and Draken. The Gripen is beautiful, but just like the other two which had to deal with serious competition from Dassault's Mirage line, the Gripen is even more strangled nowadays with not only the Rafale, but the Typhoon as well. Throw in US and Russian birds too and it's a testament to it's quality that it manages to compete in that jungle, and compete fairly well.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Hahaha, excellent. I think I used to have one of those in my shop collection. The ones I have now are Stanley. Not as durable as a Sandvik, they get dull quicker.

There is something to be said for the Gripen being a little over half the cost of a Super Hornet. Dual engines might serve the Hornet better, plus the AN/APG-79 is superior to the Raven ES-O5. Maneuverability goes to the Gripen but the Super Hornet is no slouch, either. I think the edge also goes to the S. Hornet in terms of it's avionics suite/package. Plus Canada has experience with the F/A-18 and proximity as well as all the closely related missions it performs with the US makes it the better choice (commonality), second to your suggestion of a life extension to the existing CF-18's.

I've always admired the entire line of SAAB aircraft, especially the Viggen and Draken. The Gripen is beautiful, but just like the other two which had to deal with serious competition from Dassault's Mirage line, the Gripen is even more strangled nowadays with not only the Rafale, but the Typhoon as well. Throw in US and Russian birds too and it's a testament to it's quality that it manages to compete in that jungle, and compete fairly well.

I met an Englishman in Singapore once.
He lived in India, but there was no way he could buy a Sandvik Saw there,
but they were available in Singapore, so he went for it, LOL.

 

[Gomig-21]

You can find a lot of things in Singapore! lol

Note the fake cockpit painted on the belly.