RCAF Hornet replacement.
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Very good point!
Typhoon is an excellent Airframe (especially A2A). It's supremely fast, powerful and agile. With AESA, Meteor and IRIS/ASRAAM a mighty Air Superiority platform that can sweep the airspace. On the other hand the Product Support and continued development is rather lackluster compared to F-35 or even Rafale. A2G Typhoon is still behind Tornado in many cpabilities and it is not VLO to compensate for this. There are no 'cool' additions exactly as you mentioned with Loyal wingman&Company. At the same time Typhoon and Rafale are amongst the very most expensive Fighter aircraft on the current market. Honestly, I also don't see big chances in any of the remaining competitions, being it Canada or Finland. And I can't even really blame them.
Typhoon is an excellent Airframe (especially A2A). It's supremely fast, powerful and agile. With AESA, Meteor and IRIS/ASRAAM a mighty Air Superiority platform that can sweep the airspace. On the other hand the Product Support and continued development is rather lackluster compared to F-35 or even Rafale. A2G Typhoon is still behind Tornado in many cpabilities and it is not VLO to compensate for this. There are no 'cool' additions exactly as you mentioned with Loyal wingman&Company. At the same time Typhoon and Rafale are amongst the very most expensive Fighter aircraft on the current market. Honestly, I also don't see big chances in any of the remaining competitions, being it Canada or Finland. And I can't even really blame them.
Yes but 20-30 gripens would allow the can to be kicked even further down the road. The 25 ex RAAF hornets of which 7 are for parts gets you down <10 years, 20ish gripens might get you down the road for 10 + years and still be usable after they eventually select the F-35 which we all know they will have to at some stage
Rattman
Buying 20 Gripens is not a case of kicking the can down the road. It would effectively be stomping on the can and throwing it on the bin.
Firstly an interim bit of new aircraft would take up all the money that might otherwise be available to buy F35.
Secondly (and it’s the aspect that politicians never seem to appreciate fully) the RCAF simply couldn’t provide the manning to do it.
If you are suggesting that Gripen work alongside the remaining Hornets (which I guess you are because 20 jets could not meet the RCAF taskings) then you would need two fleets of pilots/engineers etc. Unless something has drastically changed in Canada, that just isn’t going to happen.
The purchase of the RAAF jets was to recognise the fact that they could augment the knackered fleet of RCAF jets without making two fleets. Even an interim Super Hornet purchase would have created two fleets.
Anyway, I may be wrong but with the competitors left in the process F35 is the inevitable choice. I just cannot wait to see the kicking that Justin will get in the press and maybe the polls.
BV
Firstly an interim bit of new aircraft would take up all the money that might otherwise be available to buy F35.
Secondly (and it’s the aspect that politicians never seem to appreciate fully) the RCAF simply couldn’t provide the manning to do it.
If you are suggesting that Gripen work alongside the remaining Hornets (which I guess you are because 20 jets could not meet the RCAF taskings) then you would need two fleets of pilots/engineers etc. Unless something has drastically changed in Canada, that just isn’t going to happen.
The purchase of the RAAF jets was to recognise the fact that they could augment the knackered fleet of RCAF jets without making two fleets. Even an interim Super Hornet purchase would have created two fleets.
Anyway, I may be wrong but with the competitors left in the process F35 is the inevitable choice. I just cannot wait to see the kicking that Justin will get in the press and maybe the polls.
BV
He will get his headlines and photo ops when the first plane is delivered, meanwhile the RCAF get more screwed
rattman
I love your blue-sky thinking but I think we’ll agree to disagree on its’ likelihood.
Even Justin would struggle to put a positive spin on that plan.
BV
Even Justin would struggle to put a positive spin on that plan.
BV
So plus points about the Gripen:
Gripen serviceability will be better – two conscripts and a screwdriver keep it flying – F-35 not so much.
Its a Saab aircraft so designed to fly from austere places – F-35 I imgine is more limited in places you would want to deploy to.
Gripen will be cheap to own, fly and upgrade – F-35 will be on the other end of the spectrum
Canada’s tankers have hose and drogue – surely no air force would be stupid enough to buy airplanes their tankers can’t refuel?? Oh
US units will be queuing up to do DACT with Canadian Gripens - - not so with F-35.
As most of the western world will fly F-35 – if Canada buys Gripen it will bring something different to the mix when they deploy.
Gripen is not American - which my be a big plus for some politicians.
On the flip side – LM use lots of $’s to be persuasive with the right people - Saab dont
Gripen serviceability will be better – two conscripts and a screwdriver keep it flying – F-35 not so much.
Its a Saab aircraft so designed to fly from austere places – F-35 I imgine is more limited in places you would want to deploy to.
Gripen will be cheap to own, fly and upgrade – F-35 will be on the other end of the spectrum
Canada’s tankers have hose and drogue – surely no air force would be stupid enough to buy airplanes their tankers can’t refuel?? Oh
US units will be queuing up to do DACT with Canadian Gripens - - not so with F-35.
As most of the western world will fly F-35 – if Canada buys Gripen it will bring something different to the mix when they deploy.
Gripen is not American - which my be a big plus for some politicians.
On the flip side – LM use lots of $’s to be persuasive with the right people - Saab dont
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I think we are talking nation specific here. ALARM had all but gone from GR4’s inventory towards the end. Sea Eagle had not been in the inventory for over a decade by the end and GR4 never used JDAM. At the moment, I’m still struggling to see how the UK Typhoon is behind Tornado GR4 (noting GR4 is no longer in service).