it takes 5 years from graduating RMC to arriving at a front line fighter squadron and that assumes no delays. Getting pilots in the door now doesn't fix the we need people now issue. it fixes the issue in 5 years from now minimum.
yes, we will have a mixed fleet running CF-18s and CF-35As until 2032. But many in the RCAF already believe that will already be too much on the existing training establishment at the current pace of delivery. We don't generate pilots and techs quickly it's a multi year process.
Furthermore, Gripen would not gain us anymore independence from the Americans, over 30% of its components are sourced from the US and subject to ITAR almost all its weapons would be sourced from the US. This isn't even getting into just economically how poor of an option it is.
We do not have a mixed fleet of fighters. With the staffing of front line fighter squadrons in Canada being half of what they normally should be we cannot adapt a second fleet quickly. The RCAF's worse concern is trying to fly a 4.5 Gen aircraft into the late 2030s and beyond when its not relevant.
www.rusi.org/explore-our-... i'd recommend giving this a read, the Russian Air Force is rebuilding at an astounding rate and gaining more experience through its operations in Ukraine.
the more sinister thing that isn't widely known is that Saab is suspected of bribery in a few of their bids involving Gripen including in Brazil, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
@global-mil-info.bsky.social and other members of @projectowlosint.bsky.social have mapped key Venezuelan military installations, radar sites, and other significant locations from open-source data. Should the United States initiate strikes, many of these will be the first targets hit.
Happy Thanksgiving, ya filthy Canadian animals
Does Canada need to diversify where it sources its equipment, yeah, probably. But that doesn't mean we won't be buying American Equipment. There are still areas where it's the only logical sense.
unfortunately, the alternatives do not meet the requirements because they can't fit in anything but a C-17, of which Canada and NATO as a whole have very limited amounts of outside the USAF. There are systems where the US is simply the best supplier of equipment on the market for our needs.
yeah no worries! :)
while the tail codes and squadron markings are gone I went through one of the F-35B serial numbers data bases and based on the tail numbers they belong to VFMA-211.
any chance that the mainland might get the outer bands of Erin? or will it only remain out to sea.
A change in content, USAF C32A 98-0001 made a brief stop to Halifax Stanfield International Airport operating as SAM518. Unsure if this was a visitor or just a training flight. however a cool visitor none the less.
Photos released by the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) of the drop.
www.canada.ca/en/global-af... statement from the Canadian Government confirms a CC-130J Hercules aircraft dropped 21,600 lbs of aid over Gaza.
The Canadian Govt and Department of National Defence has not commented yet. This thread will be updated when more details come.
A Canadian Hercules aircraft conducted its first aid drop early this morning after departing Jordan. This is the first time Canada has conducted independent airdrops into an active conflict zone in decades previous Canadian aid was dropped by Jordan into Gaza.
According to Flight Tracking Data a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130J Hercules Aircraft that was assigned to Air Task Force Prestwick in Scotland has been repositioned to King Abdullah II Air Base where it joins two Belgian A400M Aircraft.
BREAKING: Canadian C-130J Hercules aircraft have begun airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. This marks a major shift in Canada’s approach to the crisis. #cdnpoli
man, I've reached the point where I'm happy Recruiters have even sent me rejection letters. the amount of ghosting that's happened to me by employers has been exhausting.
That is correct, one CC-150 is participating in Ramstein Flag this year.
morning!
and I don't think this will provoke trump, as you said Portugal didn't have a formal order for the jets. They also haven't set aside new funding for aircraft in their defense policy in the long term so it really isn't known when they are going to replace the F-16 at all.
sounds like its more of an election promise then a change in substantial policy, especially as Portugal goes to the polls on May 18th and the governing party sounds like its going to lose from what I understand.
oh to be a fly on the wall right now
for now it does rely on the Australia/Canada/United Kingdom Reprogramming Lab (ACURL) based in Eglin AFB in Florida but I don't see why we couldn't do it domestically once the Infrastructure is in place
a lot of the arguments in this article are readily disproven such as the claim that only the US has access to the Mission Data Files (MDF) when a lot of F-35 partners countries including Canada do have access to those mission sets and can program their own specific mission sets.
Came across this awesome pic of Commander Emily Shilling in her office. She's now part of the lawsuit filed against Trump & Co. in the Western District of Washington today.
Once a bad ass, always a bad ass.
