Charge of the Light Brigade: Canada style

Charge of the Light Brigade: Canada style

F-35 soars while Canada dithers

The Harper government is now waffling on its commitment and order for F35 jet fighters – under the pressure of misguided and opportunistic political opposition (see the earlier F-35 blog) and now, planned cutbacks to the Defense budget.

Too bad, because the F35 is progressing very well, thank you.

How do I know?  Simple.  I read the readily available COMBAT AIRCRAFT MONTHLY, the premier magazine that has the latest information on military aircraft from around the world;  sold at Chapters/Indigo/Coles bookstore for a mere  $8.50 + HST or on line.  

In its December, 2012 issue, it had two short updates on the F-35. During late 2012, the F-35 had a successful first test of dropping munitions, and the problem with the landing hook for navy carriers seems to have been resolved by a redesign of the grapple hook.

The January 2013 issue is even more informative. It contains full page pictures and three  main articles: on the plane’s already started deployment with the Marines in Yuma, Arizona, which will have 5 squadrons of the plane in active service by 2020 (page 6), an overview of the plane’s recent Utility Evaluation (OUE) -- including a close up photo of an F-35 launching an AIM-120 missile (p.8), and, finally, the arrival of UK, yes, British F-35B planes for pilot and maintenance crew training at Elgin AFB, Florida (pp.14-15.)

Other bits of note in this January 2013 issue are as follows:

·        The US Office of Acquisition, Technology and Logistics has already begun plans for a next generation steal fighter planned for the future dangers of 2030 to 2050

(p. 9)

 

·        China is continuing its stealth fighter development program, recently showing off a new model --  its third stealth prototype – labelled in the west as the J-31. ( The    J-20 was flown in 2010, a different design J-21 was seen thereafter.)  (p.7)

 

·        Japan is moving forward with its own, all-Japanese stealth fighter with its F-3 program. (p.30)

 

With the Russian steal fighter, now referred to as the T-50, about to be deployed,  the race for air supremacy and survivability is getting more intense and a military imperative.

 

So, if I, an ordinary citizen, can have this information – readily available in a major aviation magazine carried in outlets across North America -- why is no one else – including the media -- reporting on the progress of the F-35 and the potential threats from the Russian and Chinese stealth fighter programs?

 

Maybe I should send a subscription to the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, head of the Canadian Armed Forces, head of the Liberal party, head of the NDP, retired Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, etc. --  so they can better understand what is really going on.

Or, more cheaply, send them this blog post.

 

P.S.:  December’s cover story was on the stealth B2 bomber and January had an extensive history of the F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth reconnaissance plane – both first flown in the early 1980s!!  Yes, stealth technology is over 30 years old.