Are our CF-188s in Europe?

[Pop n Fresh]

Seems silly to ask for much detail but I wonder if they are enroute, on task or still waiting here?

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/opposition ... -1.1789703

Stay safe AuxBat et al.

[TheCheez]

Air Force Facebook said there would be a press release coming today about them heading out.

[benoit.baril]

All I know is that a friend of mine, which is medic in the Air Force, deployed yesterday.

[teacher]

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.1797347

[DonutHole]

What a gigantic waste of money.

[Nark]

What a gigantic waste of money.

You're right. What a giant waste of money not to deploy such a machine.

[DonutHole]

Yeah, Nark, That's what I meant

I think it was on CBC that I heard we are sending 6 over.

I mean, I all for going to kill me some commies...

But, if we're going to go and kill some Russians, Why don't we just fight them from home?

If this is a worthy enough cause to send our boys into harms way, then we should be willing to do it from where we live, being proximity is barely an issue.

[iflyforpie]

How can we fight the Russians from home?

We aren't that close. Not even Alaska is that close... when Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house... it was really an optical Aleutian...

[Pop n Fresh]

Not to ruin anyone's hopes to attack Russia but isn't this a defensive action hoping to help or support the Ukraine currently? I read one thing suggesting they might be used to patrol the border between Poland and the Ukraine.

[PositiveRate27]

How can we fight the Russians from home?

We aren't that close. Not even Alaska is that close... when Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house... it was really an optical Aleutian...

I sea what you did there

[Sidebar]

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=843779

The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P., for Niagara Falls, Minister of National Defence was on hand this morning to mark the departure of Canadian personnel and six CF-18 fighter aircraft headed for Romania.

These fighter aircraft, along with support personnel, are travelling to Romania in order to conduct training activities in support of immediate reassurance measures. They will join Romania and other NATO Allies currently operating in the region as part of NATO Reassurance Measures to Central and Eastern Europe.

[JungianJugular]

Six flew out, 5 are for spare parts.

[DonutHole]

How can we fight the Russians from home?

We aren't that close. Not even Alaska is that close... when Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house... it was really an optical Aleutian...

I guess in the end it really doesn't matter where you bomb the Russians from.. so long as you are ACTUALLY bombing the Russians, the rest is just a matter of semantics I suppose.

[DonutHole]

Not to ruin anyone's hopes to attack Russia but isn't this a defensive action hoping to help or support the Ukraine currently? I read one thing suggesting they might be used to patrol the border between Poland and the Ukraine.

Attack, counter attack, whatever. We just need to be fighting people and I'm happy. If we are doing it with airplanes all the better.

[DonutHole]

How can we fight the Russians from home?

We aren't that close. Not even Alaska is that close... when Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house... it was really an optical Aleutian...

I sea what you did there

Can you get enovovit?

[Diadem]

What a gigantic waste of money.

The aircraft are operated for a certain number of hours each year regardless of operational requirements, and the fuel, salaries and maintenance costs are the same whether they're flying around Cold Lake or Romania.

[DonutHole]

The thought had occurred to me that we might need them to protect our own sovereign interests. being that we have such a ridiculously small number of fighters as it is, and repositioning a group and associated assets from cold lake to Romania does cost more than remaining home...

Does anybody actually believe they will see action? If they're actually needed over there... then we definitely need them here considering the consequences of actually going to war with Russia.

[AuxBatOn]

Dude,

That's 6 from the 77 we have. I am pretty sure we can fulfill our NORAD role with 71 aircraft...

[DonutHole]

Dude...

If you actually get to pull the trigger you do realize it's world war 3 right?

I'm sure Russia is fearing the deterrent value of our six mighty fighters.

I'd rather have them here protecting canada.

[Troposphere]

Dude,

That's 6 from the 77 we have. I am pretty sure we can fulfill our NORAD role with 71 aircraft...

The real number of fighter jets, or any other military aircraft we have, is a top secret information sir and nobody from the outside know or should know it. If somebody know it and post it on an public forum is in huge contradiction with the principles and duty he (she) sworn to obey and protect.
In time of peace it is very common to attend to international exercises like this. It's valuable training for our pilots and ground staff and not a waste of money. In the case of a real conflict we want to keep it far from home, don't we?

[YYZSaabGuy]

Dude,

That's 6 from the 77 we have. I am pretty sure we can fulfill our NORAD role with 71 aircraft...

The real number of fighter jets, or any other military aircraft we have, is a top secret information sir and nobody from the outside know or should know it. If somebody know it and post it on an public forum is in huge contradiction with the principles and duty he (she) sworn to obey and protect.

Cool your jets there, Skippy. The RCAF itself doesn't regard the data as all that secret: re the CF-18, see http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/air ... -188.page? "Quantity in CF 77 modernized aircraft".

[Diadem]

Dude...

If you actually get to pull the trigger you do realize it's world war 3 right?

I'm sure Russia is fearing the deterrent value of our six mighty fighters.

I'd rather have them here protecting canada.

Obviously you're unfamiliar with our obligations to NATO and what being a signatory to that treaty entails.

[HiLo]

Dude...

If you actually get to pull the trigger you do realize it's world war 3 right?

I'm sure Russia is fearing the deterrent value of our six mighty fighters.

I'd rather have them here protecting canada.

Obviously you're unfamiliar with our obligations to NATO and what being a signatory to that treaty entails.

Not to mention the moral obligation we have to help out Ukraine in its goal to achieve democracy. It's hard for them to do that with MiGs flying overhead. Perhaps some Globe and Mail reading is advised to brush up on the situation?

[frosti]

Does anybody actually believe they will see action?

They won't be painting bombs on the side of the jet after every mission like for the Libya op. This seems more like a training mission than anything. We'll fly around patrolling some insignificant piece of airspace half way around the world for no reason other than to prove how pathetic our fighter force is. 6 fighters will mean nothing if Russia, or more likely NATO, actually decides to start something. The US and Britain will step in and take things over from there.

The real number of fighter jets, or any other military aircraft we have, is a top secret information sir and nobody from the outside know or should know it. If somebody know it and post it on an public forum is in huge contradiction with the principles and duty he (she) sworn to obey and protect.

The number of military aircraft we have are all public information, I don't know what type of koolaid you are drinking.

Six flew out, 5 are for spare parts.

It won't be long until a few are hard down for maintenance, guaranteed.

[iflyforpie]

Not to mention the moral obligation we have to help out Ukraine in its goal to achieve democracy. It's hard for them to do that with MiGs flying overhead. Perhaps some Globe and Mail reading is advised to brush up on the situation?

Seems to me that there was a referendum in the Crimea--which was traditionally has been Russian territory except for the actions of a Soviet leader that gave it to the Ukrainian SSR which was all within the USSR--where they decided to become part of Russia again. There also appears to be strong pro-Russian sentiment in the Ukraine itself.

The question is whether it is genuine; or whether these things are fabricated like public opinion, votes, and reports of the oppression of nationals like lots of Hitler's land grabs of the 30s; or whether we should support the status quo regardless of what a majority thinks.

It is a very complex issue and one of which I would not prefer to be on the wrong side of history. Our southern neighbour's support of 'democracy' has been dubious at best post-war.... the Vietnam War happened because South Vietnam would not support free elections... and the CIA orchestrating the overthrow and execution of South Vietnamese President Ngo Diem proves that mistake. A democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister was thrown out in a CIA organized coup in 1953 and replaced with the corrupt and opulent Shah to guarantee low oil prices... if Americans are looking for the key reason why Iranians hate them so much, that is it. I could go on... Cuba and Batista, China and Chiang Kai Shek, and...... oh wait a minute... how about the Ukraine and this current crisis? There are strong suspicions that the coup d'etat was organized and supported by the West... as it had lots to gain by it.

Send the planes over as a show of force.... ...get our boys in uniform some experience and camaraderie (eh Comrade!?) with our NATO brothers in arms... but please stay out of this mess....