Defence Minister Peter MacKay gestures while sitting in the cockpit of a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter during a news conference in Ottawa July 16, 2010. Parliamentary budget officer, Kevin Page, has asked the federal government for new information about the F-35 fighter jets so that he can prepare an updated estimate of their real cost. Photograph by: REUTERS/Chris Wattie , National Post
F-35 Wrong Choice For Arctic, Retired Colonel Argues -- Canada.com
OTTAWA — A retired air force fleet manager fired a salvo at the F-35 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.
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My Comment: I am old enough to remember when the F-18 was chosen by Canada because it could travel great distances and that it had 2 engines .... two points that many believed at the time was essential for pilots to fly the arctic. The F-35 is not structured to fill that need .... a point that many are now finally pointing out and bringing to the attention of the media and parliament. Canada's auditor general is going to add more fuel to this debate in hearings today (see video below).
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