Canada to purchase 65 F-35s

Announced today (Friday, July 16)

Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced that the 65 F-35s would be purchased at a price of C$9 Billion – this is added to with a C$7 Billion 20 year service and maintenance contract.

This was a sole-source contract – no competition was held.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/canada/2010/07/16/14735806.html

OTTAWA – Canada will buy 65 F-35 fighter jets for $9 billion, the government announced Friday.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced the deal at a glitzy press conference with officials from Lockheed Martin and the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft program.

Maintenance and repairs over the next 20 years are expected to cost $7 billion.

MacKay said the government chose the F-35 without a public bidding process because it’s the only plane that meets Canada’s needs, and because Canada is a partner in the JSF program.

Critics have decried the contract as “secretive,” and “reckless” because they argue other fighter jets that are equally capable of meeting Canada’s needs could have been purchased for cheaper.

The first F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, which will replace Canada’s CF-18 Hornet, will arrive in 2016.

Canada has invested $140 million in the design and development of the F-35.

To date, Canadian companies have snapped up $350 million worth of work on the fifth-generation stealth aircraft.

Although it’s not mentioned, I believe these are the be the C-model.

“… a respected Washington think tank …”???
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) ??

If they are that known and ‘respected’, then why is it when one Googles “CSIS” the first 10 entries are regarding the Canadian Security and Information Service.

The whole article is nothing but third-party posturing and war-mongering

From http://foros.aviacol.net.

Unfortunately, I’ll be the one to call PS!!… while not ‘fictitious’ markings (or user), they’ve definitely been added (and not very well) to an existing photo… much like some of those Somali AF pix that show up on a certain “formerairforces” website.

Some (not all) of the BCATP accidents are covered with ‘new’ photos in the Volume I’m currently producing (going to print by mid-April)… Look for “Aviation in Canada – (3rd Volume subtitle unavailable as of yet)” by Larry Milberry – CANAV Books…http://www.canavbooks.com/Booklist/

many, many rare and/or never before published photos included…

Oh and to answer and earlier question, I believe Bolivia’s T-33’s are actually Canadair-built T-33A(N)’s with the Nene engine. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. Not sure when they were built though.

yes – hence my notation of Canadair’s model number – CL-30.

Can’t quite answer the construction date (will check on that), but they were former RCAF/Canadian Armed Forces aircraft sold onward to Bolivia from 1973 via private interests.

The upgrade was performed by Kelowna Flightcraft – Kelowna, B.C. (Canada). 18 T-33 Mk.III went to KFC in the late ’90s for upgrade and all had been returned by 2001.

JJ

Sorry for hijacking this thread. But I remember a company making a version of the T-33 with podded engines like the A-10. Does anyone have any info or pictures of this aircraft?

That was the Boeing Skyfox… http://www.highgallery.com/USmilitaryAircraft/Boeing/military-aircraft-skyfox.html

silver lining???

where??… EADS/NG will not be bidding – due to the favouritism shown in the the ‘re-jigging’ of the RFP… there is no silver lining in this except for the fact that Boeing gets to stay alive as a military provider.

others can/will/may quote this and other competitions, but in this case (IMHO) the brief (RFP) was – in the end – designed to favour Boeing… period!

EADS produces great aircraft, and has produced an excellent A-A refueler but, somewhere down the line – possibly due to Boeing’s patent on the ‘flying boom’ – this had to happen for the ‘sake’ of Boeing’s prestige.

USAF may not necessarily get the ‘best’ aircraft for the role – but rather the ‘best bargain’ aircraft that may be available. The Politicians have ‘spoken’ and made clear their position. I can’t blame EADS one iota for not bidding this time ’round.

Any ideas regarding where this C-130 is from?

It’s Republic of China (Taiwan) – there have been reports of them flying aid to Haiti in Hercs with the national markings painted out – the nose serial size and location certainly match.

see attached for a view of 1318 with her markings intact… http://www.taiwanairpower.org/af/c130/1318.jpg