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ON TARGET: Does Canada Really Need The CF-35 Joint Strike Fighter? — espritdecorps
(www.espritdecorps.ca)
It’s strength is that it is a technological marvel.
It’s weakness is that it is a technological marvel.
Canada does not have a massive military budget. It cannot support such a stupendously expensive piece of kit. And since Canada is not generally in the position of being an imperialistic aggressor (at least, nowhere near as much or as frequently as the U.S.), we simply don’t have such a burning need for a first strike aircraft.
Plus, as the second largest country by geography on the planet, Canada needs a lot of aircraft to effectively patrol and protect her airspace.
Canada would be better served by utilizing 4th gen fighters that are not only proven platforms with high degrees of reliability, but for which ten aircraft can be fielded for a single F-35.
Because as Germany discovered in WWII, quality does not win wars… quantity does. You put 10 Shermans against a single Panzer, and sure, that Panzer will easily take out 8 of them. But by the time it does, one or both of the remaining Shermans will have landed a killing shot against the Panzer. And if you can field 10 or more Shermans for the cost of a single Panzer, it would be financial and strategic stupidity to choose the Panzer over the Sherman.