RCAF CT-156 Harvard II Crash

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/2-military-pilots-eject-safely-before-crash-at-15-wing-moose-jaw-1.2510345

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Two crew walked away after ejecting

It would have been more interesting if they had compared their projected “Joint” budgets with the F-22, EF2000 and Rafale budgets to get a better idea of how accurate their projections were. The F-22 went overbudget as well, albeit not to the same grotesque amounts as JSF

Rafale is a ‘Joint’ program is it not?

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RCAF Receives 1st CH-147F Chinook

Boeing delivered the first of 15 new CH-147F Chinook helicopters to the Royal Canadian Air Force on June 21 and the helicopter arrived in Ottawa today on its way to CFB Petawawa, its new home base.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=13&item=2290

That’s a Russian I-17 but I believe by the rules of the game skytrain10 still has the floor.

well done. correct

Operation ‘Ignition’

RCAF defending Icelandic airspace – ‘Operation Ignition’

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=4702

Operation IGNITION is Canada’s periodic participation in the NATO – Airborne Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to Meet Iceland’s Peacetime Preparedness Needs mission. This is an operation conducted to monitor Iceland’s airspace and enforce security if required.

While it contributes to NATO regional security efforts and Canada’s bilateral relations with Iceland, Op IGNITION also contributes to the security of Canadian airspace by monitoring and controlling air traffic in the northeastern approaches to North America.

Task Force Iceland

Task Force Iceland consists of about 160 Canadian Forces personnel, including a detachment of up to six CF-188 Hornet fighter aircraft and a support element located in the security zone at Keflavik International Airport, about 50 km from Reykjavik, Iceland.

Task Force Iceland arrived at Keflavik on 18 March 2013, and will cease operations on April 28, 2013. The fighter aircraft and the majority of the personnel currently deployed on Task Force Iceland 2013 come from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing, Bagotville, Quebec.

In no particular order they copied the BMP, the AK-47, the Su-27, Su-33, SA-7’s sagger ATGM’s and dozens upon dozens of other foreign weapon systems (particular Russian ones) without permission before. Why not the Su-34?

As a Canadian taxpayer I hope and pray that we do not hitch our national defense to this pig in a poke of an aircraft.

All the debate in this thread strikes me as the most moot of arguments. This plane is failing left right and centre and is having its specifications re-written (on a downward trajectory of performance mind you) around it each and every time it fails to meet a benchmark! And notwithstanding that it might offer some aspects of credible performance down the road in SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS it will never be what it was intended to be – a swiss army knife LO plane that could do all reasonably well.

At best it will turn out to be a sluggish LO bomb truck with next to no growth potential, a massively high flyaway cost and if the stealth/LO is countered technologically down the road (entirely possible) it becomes at best a downgrade from the F-16/AV-8B/F-18’s it is designed to replace at a massively inflated price.

Canada for one should go the F-18 E/F route with the F’s wired for “Growler” duty. NATO is always screaming for EW resources and the RCAF could really punch above its weight by adding a capability to its arsenal that it currently does not possess.

And one engine is nuts in Canada. Simply nuts.

The French are making use of RAF and USAF C-17’s to bring the hard needed material to Mali… now, I am wondering if the French will not look into buying a few C-17s for their own, as such opertions like Serval is showing that the lack of such strategic transport is a nightmare when you want to deploy troops and material fast!

Last time I looked Canada has been contributing a C-17 to the effort as well!

http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/v2/nr-sp/index-eng.asp?id=13561