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Canada looks to delay tricky F-35 decision by buying Super Hornets
While campaigning for office, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that his government would never buy the controversial, increasingly expensive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for his country's air force. That declaration came despite the previous administration's commitment to purchase 65 of those planes from Lockheed Martin. Now, however, it appears Trudeau's government has found a way to fulfill his campaign promise and avoid any potential legal headaches that would… (arstechnica.com) Plus d'info...
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Canada didn't refuse to buy them because of the cost - it was because the Harper Govt got caught in a bold face lie about the cost - had they been truthful from the start - Canada most likely would have confirmed their order a couple of years ago. Fortunately this is a big win for the Canadian Taxpayer - F-35 is basically bankrupting the USAF - they cancel the F-22 for cost - then blow 1.5 trillion and counting on a plane almost nobody talks good about.
Fact is, the Harper administration already put $400M into CF-18 upgrades as a means of extending their lifespan to around 2020. This would give ample time for the fair competition that Canadians want. THe Harper government proved they just couldn't handle that and dropped billions on an overpriced aircraft. Mr. Trudeau is doing the same albeit cheaper. Canadians want a fair competition to fulfill Canada's defense needs for the long term and stop breaking the bank for the immediate future.
Despite the boondoggle that is Canadian parliamentary democracy, in the end it appears at least that the right decision has been made.
