The RCAF's Next Generation Fighter (CF-188 Replacement)

[Good2Golf]

Even Chretien realized his campaign promise was wrong. He just made sure DND came up with another name other than EH-101 Merlin when we bought the AW101 / CH-149.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

That said, seized-rotorcraft aren’t as fun as floppy-winged, so I’d still prefer back-forth-up-down-all around and blowing crunchies’ blue rockets over, so don’t take my word for choices.

Regards
G2G

Isn't that a F-35 B?  ;D

 

[Good2Golf]

Isn't that a F-35 B?  ;D

Touché!  I’d definitely that one a go.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

IMP joins bid to assemble Canada's new fighter jets in Nova Scotia

Ken Rowe wants to assemble the next generation of Canadian fighter jets right here in Nova Scotia.

His IMP Group is part of a consortium bidding to put together and maintain 88 of Saab’s Gripen fighter jets at his company’s massive hangar near Halifax Stanfield International Airport to serve as Canada's next wave of fighter jets. The $19-billion future fighter procurement program aims to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s existing fleet of CF-18 Hornets.

“We have to win the competition first of course,” said Rowe, IMP's founder and executive chairman.

“But if we win, they will be ... assembled in our large new hangar at the airport.”

It wouldn’t make sense to set up a factory here to build less than 100 Gripens, he said.

“But a lot of the parts will be made here in our shops, where it makes sense, and the whole aircraft assembled here,” Rowe said Wednesday in a telephone interview...

“We should have the lowest price,” Rowe said of the Gripen. “And it’s a cold weather aircraft that’s a very popular one.”

The feds are slated to choose the winning bidder in 2022, with the first jets to be delivered three years after that.

“I don’t access all the politics that goes on in these decisions because everyone and their dog gets involved,” Rowe said. “The military will have a quiet say of what aircraft they want and it will come down to the competitive issue of price and technical qualifications.”

IMP, which employs about 2,000 people in Nova Scotia, hasn’t worked out yet how many people it would need to add to its labour force here to assemble the fighter jets.

“There would be quite a large hiring,” Rowe said. “But until they work out what exactly are we expected to do, this is very early days.”..

IMP already maintains several different Canadian military helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

"We're a major defence contractor in Canada but we don't go preaching it every day to the public," Rowe said.

He’s confident IMP would be able to find skilled workers capable of assembling the Swedish fighters here.

“We never take on a project that we can’t complete on time and within the budget asked of us,” he said.
https://www.thetelegram.com/business/regional-business/imp-hopes-canadas-new-fighter-jets-will-be-assembled-in-nova-scotia-419518/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Quirky]

Rowe said. “The military will have a quiet say of what aircraft they want"

RCAF: We've made our assessment, our recommendation based on future capability, interoperability with our allies and price is the clear choice, the F-35.
Government: "You get the SAAB because we can build them here and employ a couple hundred assembly line workers in NS for a few years."
RCAF: 'Collective fighter pilot community in Canada leaves for the airlines'
Government:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The government will buy unmanned and unarmed drones, with the drones controlled by the same people in Miramichi who handle the Phoenix Call centre. 

 

[dimsum]

The government will buy unmanned and unarmed drones, with the drones controlled by the same people in Miramichi who handle the Phoenix Call centre.

Don't give them any ideas.

 

[FSTO]

The author of this Op piece.
Alex McColl has a master of public policy degree from the University of Calgary, where he wrote his capstone thesis, CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, on military procurement.

https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/national-perspectives/alex-mccoll-mackay-ironically-lining-up-against-fighter-jet-jobs-in-his-own-riding-420208/

Wasn't there a factory built in St Jean for an air defence system that was shut down shortly after the last item rolled off the line? Have we learned nothing? (sarcasm)

 

[MilEME09]

The author of this Op piece.
Alex McColl has a master of public policy degree from the University of Calgary, where he wrote his capstone thesis, CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, on military procurement.

https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/national-perspectives/alex-mccoll-mackay-ironically-lining-up-against-fighter-jet-jobs-in-his-own-riding-420208/

Wasn't there a factory built in St Jean for an air defence system that was shut down shortly after the last item rolled off the line? Have we learned nothing? (sarcasm)

No company is going to invest millions to build a factory for a few aircraft, then shut it down, It blows my mind people still make the argument about cost, when the F-35 costs continue to drop while costs are only going up for 4th gen aircraft as production slows. I also love how liberals tout an open and fair competition but are dragging their heels about actually launching it. I have said it before and I will say it again, defense procurement needs to be taken out of political hands, the department should handle it all internally and be exempt from the stupid rules about canadian content, etc... that are driving defense costs up in this country.

 

[Quirky]

The author of this Op piece.
Alex McColl has a master of public policy degree from the University of Calgary, where he wrote his capstone thesis, CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, on military procurement.

I couldn't think of a more useless way to spend nearly a decade in university.

 

[observor 69]

I couldn't think of a more useless way to spend nearly a decade in university.

"According to the US Census Bureau, Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) graduates earn an average of $19,000 more than their counterparts with bachelors degrees.

Some surveys suggest that MPP grads can expect a 31% increase in their salary."

https://prodigyfinance.com/resources/blog/getting-masters-public-policy-expect-salary-bump

 

[Spencer100]

The author of this Op piece.
Alex McColl has a master of public policy degree from the University of Calgary, where he wrote his capstone thesis, CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, on military procurement.

https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/national-perspectives/alex-mccoll-mackay-ironically-lining-up-against-fighter-jet-jobs-in-his-own-riding-420208/

Wasn't there a factory built in St Jean for an air defence system that was shut down shortly after the last item rolled off the line? Have we learned nothing? (sarcasm)

The plant did not close down

https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/company/divisions_and_subsidiaries/rheinmetall_canada/index.php

 

[Good2Golf]

FSTO, maybe you’re thinking of UTDC, that made the HLVWs at a plant near Sherbrooke, Qc, that was subsequently dismantled entirely and returned to frank and after the HLs were completed?

Regards,
G2G

 

[dapaterson]

And just rebuilt and redismantled to assemble SMP variant MSVS trucks?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

FSTO, maybe you’re thinking of UTDC, that made the HLVWs at a plant near Sherbrooke, Qc, that was subsequently dismantled entirely and returned to frank and after the HLs were completed?

Regards,
G2G

or the LSVW, Iltis

 

[Good2Golf]

I thought Western Star contract-built the LSVW under Iveco’s license?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Quite possibly

 

[FSTO]

The plant did not close down

https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/company/divisions_and_subsidiaries/rheinmetall_canada/index.php

Thanks, the MEGAPLEX left me scarred for life and anything to do with Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is hazy at best.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Orphan fighter if Congress agrees--cost for RCAF if production restarted?

Navy Says Ending Super Hornet Line Frees Up Resources for Life Extension Work

CAPITOL HILL – The Navy’s request to end the F/A-18E-F Super Hornet production line after 2021 instead of signing another multiyear production contract was not to save money, but rather to allow manufacturer Boeing to convert the production line from building new planes to overhauling old ones at a rate of 40 per year.

The Navy is managing a shifting fighter fleet, which today only sends fourth-generation Super Hornets on deployments but by next year will begin its transition into a blend of fourth- and fifth-gen fighters, once the first squadron of F-35C Joint Strike Fighters heads out with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.

Navy acquisition chief James Geurts said today that the best way to support the ideal mix of F-18s and F-35s was to stop buying Super Hornets after the current contract ends in Fiscal Year 2021 and to focus instead on getting as many as possible per year through the Service Life Modification (SLM) program. SLM not only adds thousands of flying hours to the planes’ lives but also upgrades them to the new Block III configuration with that adds stealth, range, weapons-carrying capacity and advanced connectivity.

“Most of the parts of the aircraft aren’t built on the production line, it’s assembly; so we’re going to see a large transference of that skill and expertise as we take airplanes apart and service life extend them,” he told USNI News after a House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee hearing, adding that he wanted the same experts that assembled new planes to re-assemble the older ones after they were taken apart for new components to be adding in for the life extension and capability upgrade program.

“And also part of that is modifying those from Block II to Block III aircraft. So we’re going to simultaneously extend the service life so we can get more flying hours and then greatly enhance the capability as we give them the full Block III capability. So essentially an airplane coming out of there is a Block III F/A-18E-F with lots of flying hours left, which is not much different than a new production Block III F/A-18E-F with a lot of hours left [emphasis added].”

Many of the Navy’s most controversial cuts in the FY 2021 budget request were driven by flat toplines and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine construction squeezing out other spending priorities – cutting one of two planned attack submarines in 2021 and cutting a planned Arleigh Burke destroyer in the out years were “strictly affordability” issues, Navy officials have said.

Geurts assured that the decision to end F-18 procurement earlier than previously planned – another multiyear contract had been written into earlier aircraft procurement plans, showing a buy of 36 jets from 2022 to 2024 – had nothing to do with money and everything to do with need ]emphasis added].

“When we look at our fighter shortfall, we’re about 49 aircraft short. Between SLM and F-35 coming online – we’re adding F-35s into the fleet now – that fighter shortfall essentially goes to zero towards the end of the 2020s. And so, looking at that, we have to take a little bit of risk in between now and the end of 2020s; about 40 aircraft on a fleet of 800 is a manageable risk. Particularly if we keep our mission capable rate up. I think we added about 134 aircraft to the Navy inventory in our mission capable rate improvements this last year, so that’s another way” to increase ready jets available for training and operations, Geurts told USNI News.

During the hearing, though, the subcommittee’s chairman and ranking member expressed concern about stopping production, especially since the Navy’s replacement program, the FA-XX program, is still in early development.

“The Navy’s budget proposal removes 36 Super Hornet strike-fighter aircraft planned after fiscal year 2021 and begins shutdown of the F/A-18 production line beginning in 2023 [emphasis added], increasing the Navy’s strike-fighter shortfall next year. Further, we need to understand what gives Navy leadership and acquisition officials confidence that terminating Super Hornet production 10 years before the next generation FA-XX strike-fighter, currently existent on just briefing slides, is prudent,” Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) said in his opening statement.

“Regarding Navy strike fighter management: This budget request removed 36 new production F/A-18 Super Hornets in the out-years that were originally planned for production in last year’s budget. Given the Navy’s current shortfall of 49 aircraft, I’m concerned that this decision is creating too much operational risk in the near term,” Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) said in her opening statement. Boeing’s F-18 production facility is in her home state of Missouri, but not in Hartzler’s district.

Geurts told the lawmakers during the hearing that he was confident the Navy would have enough jets ready to train and operate at any given time under this plan. The SLM process currently takes 18 months but will be reduced to 12 months once the work moves to a productionized setup on an assembly line, which can only happen if new construction stops...
https://news.usni.org/2020/03/10/navy-says-ending-super-hornet-line-frees-up-resources-for-life-extension-work

Mark
Ottawa

 

[OldSolduer]

Orphan fighter if Congress agrees--cost for RCAF if production restarted?

Mark
Ottawa

How long before the RCAF - I mean the GoC - purchases "slightly used" Super Hornets?

Forgive me if I seem a bit jaded.