F-35s grounded (again)

[5x5]

FWIW, Pierre Sprey doesn't think the F-35 is a good design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxDSiwqM2nw

[Gilles Hudicourt]

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/pierre ... 1592445665

Pierre Sprey's Anti-F-35 Diatribe Is Half Brilliant And Half Bullshit

[Moose47]

G'day

"Who is going to attack Canada? If they did, what could we seriously do about it??? No one has taken Canada seriously as a fighting force since 1945."

Well let's see now. The North Koreans and Chinese did. The Russians and Warsaw Pact did, especially when we had twelve fighter squadrons in France and Germany. After converting from Sabres to CF-104's we had a nuclear strike role. The Canadian Army based in Germany had nuclear-tipped Honest John tactical battlefield Surface to Surface missiles. Canadians served brilliantly in Afghanistan. Perhaps your idea of serious is way different than mine. But hen again, having served I am rather biased.

Cheers...Chris

[Old fella]

Wars of ideology (aka Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan) don’t count as they are usually delegated to the dustbins, last pages, merely a footnote in the thirtyish years’ time history books.

Of course nothing to do with the F-35 thread but WTF, I tossed it in anyway.

[dukepoint]

G'day

"Who is going to attack Canada? If they did, what could we seriously do about it??? No one has taken Canada seriously as a fighting force since 1945."

Well let's see now. The North Koreans and Chinese did. The Russians and Warsaw Pact did, especially when we had twelve fighter squadrons in France and Germany. After converting from Sabres to CF-104's we had a nuclear strike role. The Canadian Army based in Germany had nuclear-tipped Honest John tactical battlefield Surface to Surface missiles. Canadians served brilliantly in Afghanistan. Perhaps your idea of serious is way different than mine. But hen again, having served I am rather biased.

Cheers...Chris

North Korea attacked Canada!?!? Must have missed that one. Kinda sounds like a cool "Southpark" episode.

To find out the Russians and Chinese also attacked.............I gotta read the news more. Then the Warsaw Pact??? Attacked by a treaty??.......maybe we should get a paper-shredder. They might throw one in free with every purchase of 50 F-35's.

My idea of serious is more than "four active" aircraft.

DP.

[Moose47]

G'day

If you want to be a comedian, the USO could use you on tour in Afghanistan. Just don't try telling any jokes to the Taliban. It might cost you your head

Cheers...Chris

[Gilles Hudicourt]

I think a nation should have the means to defend itself and not have to rely on "allies" for protection against bully nations, especially when an ally can quickly turn into a bully. The USA is one of the nations that does not recognize our territorial claims in the Arctic and a suspected violator of our waters by its submarines.
Canada should have credible defence capabilites, capabilities independent of those offered by allies, not shinny toys just to allow us to tag along on America's foreign wars.
Having a credible military is not necessarily for using it. It's for dissuading other countries from bullying us.
Between 1959 and 1961 the US military and the CIA violated Cuban airspace on a daily basis. Then in 61 the Cubans acquired radars, SA missiles and Mig 21s, and the overflights mostly ceased, except for the U-2 overflights which continued. Then the Soviets shot one down over Cuba and the overflights stopped altogether.
Just look at the Lebanese today who are overflown daily by the Israeli Air Force. They have no Air Force and no Air Defences. They have no powerfull allies either. The day they get potent air defence missiles, the Israelís will stop violating Lebanese airspace. Not before......

[Moose47]

G'day Gilles

" The day they get potent air defence missiles, the Israelís will stop violating Lebanese airspace. Not before...... "

Wrong. They will have been destroyed long before that. Mossad is everywhere!

You are right Gilles on one thing. We have no right calling ourselves a sovereign nation if we do not have the ability to defend it. Divide 65 F-35's into 3,855,103 square miles. That's a whole lot of territory for one aircraft to be responsible for. If you take snags, routine maintenance and unforeseen problems, the responsibility goes way up for each aircraft. Simply not doable.

How about buying or trading wheat for Russian aircraft without engines, avionics or weapons systems. Westernize them and they would most likely be just as effective for a fraction of the cost. God, I can't believe I just said that and to think I was trained to kill them godless bastards!

Cheers...Chris

[azimuthaviation]

and to think I was trained to kill them godless bastards!

How many did you get?