F-35 bad choice for Arctic, retired colonel argues
Over-priced jets may be obsolete by completion date
Aretired air force fleet manager fired a salvo at the F-35 on Wednesday, saying the strike fighter is ill-suited for Arctic missions and may become obsolete soon after it enters service.
Meanwhile, Liberal defence critic John Mckay has asked Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page for a new analysis of the F-35 program costs.
Retired colonel Paul Maillet, an aerospace engineer and former CF-18 fleet manager, said the F-35 does not meet the needs of the government’s Canada First Defence Strategy, a key pillar of which is Arctic sovereignty.
“How do you get a single-engine, lowrange, low-payload, low-manoeuvrability aircraft that is being optimized for close air support . . . to operate effectively in the North?” he asked.
Maillet called the F-35 a “serious strategic mismatch” to Canada’s military needs, and suggested the Royal Canadian Air Force would be better off purchasing a fleet of F-18 E/F fighters. Committing to purchase a plane that is still in development is financially perilous, Maillet said, adding that the planes are likely to cost much more than $25 billion.
“Development in this business is totally uncertain,” he said. “Basically cost performance and schedule goals are high, high risk and in many cases I would say will not happen as you predict today.”
Maillet, who twice ran unsuccessfully as a federal Green party candidate, said the billions the government is planning to spend on F-35s would be better used on schools and health
It’s a hell of a lot cheaper to buy a UAV. We do have a huge coastline and UAVS seems to be a reasonable alternative
JOHN MCKAY
care. The trend lines in aerial combat, Maillet said, point to a not-so-distant future when manned fighter aircraft are a thing of the past. Unmanned drone technology is progressing at a staggering pace, he said, and they will soon be capable of dogfights.
Manned aircraft will struggle to compete with unmanned fighter drones, Maillet said, in part because the human body can only withstand nine or 10 G forces. Drones can tolerate upwards of 30.
Given the pace of drone development, Maillet said, the F-35 could be among last major manned fighter projects. With new drone fighters not too far off, he said, Canada could hold off on a major purchase — and extend the life of the aging CF-18S — until these come to market.
Mckay said unmanned drones should be considered for the routine tasks of patrolling the Arctic, especially since some can fly for 20 hours without refuelling and don’t put pilots at risk.
“It’s a hell of a lot cheaper to buy a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle),” he said. “We do have a huge coastline and UAVS seems to be a reasonable alternative.”
The opposition may soon have new ammunition in its opposition to the F-35, once Page completes Mckay’s request for “an update of the life cycle cost estimate of the F-35.”
In a letter to the deputy minister of national defence, Robert Fonberg, dated April 23, Page asks that the Department of National Defence hand over “information and documents” that provide a “full life cycle cost” of the aircraft. Mckay said he turned to the PBO because Parliament can’t get a straight answer from the government on the F-35 costs.
When asked about the upcoming PBO analysis in question period Wednesday, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose said Page will receive the information he needs.
What the government really needs to reveal, Mckay said, is the Statement of Requirement for Canada’s next fighter jet purchase. This so-far-secret document describes what Canada needs in a jet, Mckay said.