A former high-ranking member of the Canadian armed forces defends the planned acquisition of 88 f-35 fighter jets, hoping to end the ongoing dispute between the Canadian government and the Swedish firm Saab.
According to information obtained by Radio-Canada, the high-ranking commanders of the Royal Canadian Air Force sent a letter to the federal government and offered the benefits of obtaining the full requirements of the F-35S to meet the military needs of Canada.
Signals hopes to prevent the Canadian government from reducing its F-35 order and replace it with the Gripen-e fighter made by Sabuli, an industrial giant that promises to create thousands of jobs in Canada.
The letter, which has not been made public, was sent on Monday to ordinary government decision-makers involved in the fighter jet file, including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office.
Carney sent an update on the purchase of F-35s produced by the American Firm Lockheed Martin in March, in response to the threats of the reputation of the US President Donald Trump. Canada is currently receiving at least 16 F-35 aircraft, but has not committed to receiving the full fleet of 88 aircraft ordered by 2023.
According to sources, the letter’s signature includes Tom Lawson, who was the chief of defense staff of the Canadian Armed Forces from 2012 to 2015.
In an interview with CBC News, he declined to comment on the letter, but raised questions about plans to buy fighter jets.
“Unfortunately, as far as the F-35 is concerned, there is nothing available in the free world that comes close to the quality of the F-35,” he said.
“The IF-35 is so much more than what the gripen can offer that anything you can save financially in terms of the second cost will be lost, because those ships will be in close combat conditions.”
It makes us feel as we watch our elected officials love Sweden in this case.– Tom Lawson, former chief of staff for the Defense Forces
Lawson said he understands the desire of the Canadian government to diversify its sources of military resources outside the United States, but he also said that reducing the purchase of the F-35 is not the right way to send a message to the Americans.
Lawson previously worked as an interim consultant for Lockheed Martin but is no longer associated with the company. He says his views on this issue are the same as when he leads the Canadian armed forces, or the Deputy Commander of the North American Defense Command (Norad).
Reviving the trade dispute has raised some questions about whether the American-made fighter jets are in good condition in Canada. For national law, CBC’s David looks at what makes up the F-35 and finds Canada’s surprising contribution.
He said the F-35s have better capabilities to cruise and intercept enemy radar, as well as the ability to combine data from various sources to get a better view of the surrounding airspace.
“If we need more combat power, buy more F-35s,” Lawson said.
He added that given the ongoing shortage of pilots and technicians, buying a second fleet of Gripen Fighter Jets would worsen the CAF’s problems.
“It makes us feel as we watch our elected officials love Sweden in this case,” said Lawtson.
The Carney government has not committed to buying a second fleet of Gripen-e aircraft, but Saab has been in talks in recent months, promising new facilities to produce aircraft in Canada.
Visits to the Swedish nation in Ottawa and Montreal this week have fueled speculation about the Canadian military’s purchase of Swedish jets and electronic aircraft.
Aviation Minister Mélanie Joly made it clear that she would like more economic benefits from Lokeheed Martin for the return of the $27 billion FIMPATION fighter jet.
“My goal in this review of the F-35 contract, or jet fighters in general, is to understand what the industrial benefits will be,” he told Radio-Canada last week. “I told Lockeheed Martin that I think they can do better, that they can do more, that they need to do more.”
According to Canadian officials at the Aerospace Company L3harris Mas, thousands of jobs could be lost if Canada does not proceed with the planned acquisition of 88 F-35s.
The firm currently manages the maintenance of CF-18 Fighter Jets in Mirabel, Que., and is in talks with Lockeheed Martin to acquire a maintenance center for F-35s and part of the American fleet in Mirabel. The facility in Mirabel could provide “overflow” capacity for the two largest maintenance plants in North Carolina and Utah.
Officials from the Vilheed Martin Plan are visiting the Mirabel facilities next month, and there are promising signs of cooperation in the maintenance of the F-35 aircraft.
Without a full fleet of Canadian F-35S and cooperation with the US Armed Forces, however, the Mirabel site will not be economically viable, said L3harris Mas.
“If Canada were to decide to build a fleet of less than 88 f-35s, we would probably have a mission to acquire a force of almost 500,” said Richard Jobs, “said Mostard, President of the Caf.
He added that Canada should take its time before launching the process of acquiring six to eight new electronic surveillance aircraft.
SAAB and Bombardier are working together on an aircraft called the globalAleye, and L3harris is also using Bombardier for production / design? aircraft with radar systems.
The third major competitor for this contract is the Boeing-made E7 Wedgetail.
Several sources release the benefits of the purchase of Globalye for Canada, especially in terms of economic Spin-offs, but others believe that it is still necessary to make sure that the new plane can be renewed in flight and has federal radars.
The Royal Canadian Air Force held meetings with various potential suppliers in September, and L3haris is still fine-tuning the planes it plans to donate to the government, the government said.
