Strategically superfluous, unacceptably overpriced: The case against Canada's F-35A Lightning II acquisition

摘要

Defence Minister Peter MacKay's July 2010 decision to procure the developmentally lagging F-35 was reportedly driven by aerospace industrial development hopes at the political level, and aspirations in the senior ranks of the Canadian military that Lockheed Martin (LM) would indeed deliver a fiscally viable aircraft. Such hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled. The aircraft is strategically inappropriate for Canada, and comes with too great opportunity costs. The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) design entailed too many complex advances at one time. Any F-35 aircraft purchased are likely to be a source of chronic problems and expensive maintenance. The single-engine F-35 is, in comparison with upgraded fourth-generation competitors, not well suited for its primary Canadian strategic role in continental air defence. Further, the JSF would be militarily redundant in overseas allied missions. Less costly, operationally proven platforms such as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the F-15C ‘Golden Eagle’ or the Eurofighter Typhoon equipped with the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars and advanced missiles are preferable. JSF acquisition by Ottawa would result in too few aircraft with less capability in the continental air defence role. Only an open competition is likely to produce an optimal selection able to meet Canada's highest defence priority.View full textDownload full textKeywordsDefence Procurement, Foreign Policy, F-35 Lightning II, International Relations, CanadaRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2011.638192