Linked National Post on purpose. Given their bias I believe they’d present the worst case scenario.
E: Apparently the article is from 2016 so the cost is likely higher today.
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https://www.saab.com/markets/canada/gripen-for-canada/built-for-canada-by-canada
From another page:
“In addition, Canada will have full and exclusive control over Gripen’s secure data – a unique advantage of our offer. The Gripen Centre in Montreal will host all work on the fighter’s mission system and Canadians will carry out this work. With the mission system, communications and technical data all hosted in Canada, Gripen exceeds all industrial, security and controlled goods requirements. With Gripen the Royal Canadian Air Force will have maximum control over sensitive data handling.”
It’s a no brainer, in a world of digital warfare, needing to rely on a foreign home base is a tremendous liability.
How are they the only ones offering that, that needs to be table stakes to even bid
But we assumed it was ok till recently? How was it ever ok?
Why bother paying anything? Let it go to court. Threatening annexation should fall under some kind of hostilities clause, national security clause, or force majeure clause. Anyway who’s going to collect?
The US government can pay
MDLockheed, they’re the ones who threatened annexation.Edit… Fixed above, not sure why I had MacDonell Douglas on my mind…strange substitution for a company that no longer exists under that name.
Not saying you’re wrong, but certainly that would be added to the made-up list of reasons to annex Canada.
Doug Ford spent much more on canceling various contracts on a whim. I say bail.
We need to pull out of this deal, the last thing Canada needs is to buy weapons from the country that has designs to annex us. And that sells weapons with kill switches.
Weapons they need permission to use.
Exactly. Absolutely it has to be cancelled based on the fact that the imminent danger to Canada is from the US. No way we should be buying their weapons, listening to their media etc.
That feels like an internet rumour. How would that even work? Like if someone took out LM’s servers all F-35s in the world would no longer function? If an enemy jammed the signal they wouldn’t work?
There’s no need to invent problems anyway. The US could potentially cut off Canada from parts needed to maintain the planes and that’s reason enough to cancel it.
The daily unlock code thing is a myth. The grain of truth is that the F-35 relies heavily on mission data files (MDFs), which are region-specific software packages that enable the jet to recognize threats, navigate, and employ weapons, and we depend on the US being willing to supply those updates voluntarily for our fighter jets to be useful.
Fuck it. They’re an intelligence hazard and that’s cheap in government terms.
America is currently at war with us, declared abruptly and out of nowhere. They just decided one day “we want to annex Canada!”
Even if Donald’s presidency is short-lived and a new slightly saner and less stupid administration takes control, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be trusting the Americans any more.
We need to disentangle ourselves from any military dependence on such ridiculously unreliable “allies.” I’m all for this.
I think everyone is thinking the same way. I think the probability of the US invading is low, but there is a probability.
Even if the US never uses their military against us, there’s a very real chance they withhold parts for military equipment as leverage in a negotiation. They are already withholding military aid from Ukraine as leverage after all. That alone makes it imperative we end Canada’s dependency on the US defense industry.
Even if Donald’s presidency is short-lived and a new slightly saner and less stupid administration takes control
I know the hamburglar has got his sights on Trump but if he takes his shot during the next 4 years the US gets JD Vance. Vance will be a lot worse than Trump, I do not know how Musk or Teil will handle Vance.
Don’t cancel. “Pause” it until further notice
“Canada’s liability would be no greater than US$346.7 million” – the difference between what it had already contributed and what was remaining of the original US$551 million commitment.
Since the analysis was produced, the Liberal government has paid another US$33 million.
Considering that there are Canadian companies that have contracts related to the f35 and they would almost certainly be cancelled or not renewed, running down the clock isn’t a terrible idea. The $300+m is already a sunk cost.
No say will cancel it and then pause it then cancel the landing gear then pause that then cancel it pause it till it comes back looking like the avro arrow
I’ve been advocating joining GCAP, an effort by Japan, UK and Italy to make a 6th gen fighter. It isn’t scheduled to deliver the final design until 2035 though, so we would still need a stopgap.
Still, it would send a pretty strong signal and also allow as a path to reinvigorate our domestic aerospace defence industry.
This looks like a good idea. We do have people in Lunenberg, NS that have experience with working with stealth materials which could be a significant contribution to that project.
Could we call it the Arrow? Though I’d also be cool with it being called Spitfire.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the final platform had room for national partner tweaks. Probably could call ours the Arrow 2: Strange Brew or something.
Yes. In this case I linked it on purpose because of their handlers.
- But it continues the notion that we should rely on them for information, when they have most certainly poisoned Canadian culture and politics.
- Also, by sending users to an American site, it increases their revenues, when this money could have gone to a Canadian media site.
- And if you aren’t already aware, Canadian owned media is deliberately neglected because it’s contrary to a particular elite group in this country… And yeah, we should support and grow Canadian owned media regardless of political party.
But if you still insist on supporting American media…
Of course Canada needs to leave. Do Canadian politicians think the US will supply it with parts as it invades?
Buy some Gripen and/or Eurofighters and join GCAP.
Yes! GCAP. Still need a stopgap. Maybe stick with F-35, but reduce our commitment. Personally I like Gripen, but I’d differ to experts.
There is also FCAS, but it seems less urgent, not scheduled to begin delivering until 2040, although maybe France and Germany will get the lead out due to recent changes.
That’s less than the total incurred costs of Ford’s decision to break the contract with The Beer Store a year earlier than scheduled.
Ford blew twice that to put beer in gas stations. Clearly we have the money to blow 🤡
@avidamoeba cheap. Talk with Europe.
Yeah Europe should also cancel, the Saabs are excellent while the F35 always has had… issues, and we also got the inferior version too.
@nightwatch_admin you must make it at home, at scale, without reliance on enemies or potential enemies. It’s a reasonably simple matrix to optimise. Eurofighter and Saab, new Euro. Make Australia and Canada and New Zealand and UK demonstrate their commitment to a rules base world.
@fletch @avidamoeba
IKR
it’s a geostrategic steal compared to staying entrenched! I hope #auspol is listening.@adamsteer @avidamoeba time to put a proper moat around “EURO interoperability” interoperability with USA is a trap
@adamsteer @avidamoeba USA are gone from NATO, stand up, dig in. Is it the easy road? NO! Do you want a future where you steal a toilet for your home town? That’s where you’re headed, Russia
That’s an article from 2016.
Oh damn, I didn’t notice. Thanks!
Notwithstanding clause. Don’t pay a fucking dime.
Besides war declared by US, that makes US permissions on every flight a deal breaker, the plane is a POS, and we should be refunded for returning every existing plane we may already have. Cancelling deal for cause, with zero penalty, despite any contract is the right move.