Originally Posted by
SARF
Why not just wait.. Drag out what they have.. see how the f 35 a performs then decide.. Also as a purchaser of a large wedge of military kit also offset performance v cost .. Now and in the future.. Then choose what suits Canada best . Why rush it
Besides the potential risk of losing work share, there is also risk with pushing the decision too far- as was done with the CH-124 (S-3) Sea Kings in Canadian service. The Sea Kings were pushed way past their expected service lives due to dickering, politics, finances, indecision and the late cancellation of their intended replacement. The Sea Kings were never expected to serve so long. With old airframes you either get to unsafe conditions, or lots of money to keep them going a few more years, or both. Major upgrades are deferred because no one expects the aircraft to be in service that long. You could spend millions to bandaid the fleet together, or many more millions for a major upgrade (like the center barrel section replacement on the Hornets). You can then be forced into a purchasing crisis as your equipment is literally falling out of the sky.
Anyone that has had debated keeping an old car relate- you pay for the $600 brake repair, the $2,500 transmission repair, 6 months later, the $250 radiator repair....it adds up. Would your money be better spent on a new car? Oh by the way your Band-Aid car is now 20+ years old, does not have airbags, does not have antilock brakes, still has a cassette deck, and is less reliable- and you think "do I really want my sons and daughters driving this thing?"
Do you want your warfighters to go into battle with Band-Aid gear? Most worrisome is you risk putting pilots into danger in perhaps obsolescent or unsafe aircraft.
You can only kick the can so far down the road. Canada does not have a great track record on deferred decisions.