Senior Canadian government officials say Canada will under no circumstances be purchasing F-35s on an expedited basis and that no decision has been made on which new warplane to buy.
In the face of a U.S. military report that Ottawa has made a secret decision to buy U.S. F-35 stealth fighters, officials say the lack of firm details on cost and capabilities has not instilled confidence. They say Lockheed Martin has not provided Canada with enough basic information to justify acquiring the overbudget F-35s, which constitute the most expensive military procurement program in U.S. history. The fact that glitches prevented Lockheed Martin from flying the F-35 at this summer’s Farnborough airshow in Britain only increases caution in Ottawa, a senior Canadian official said.
“What we have seen is that there have been lots of reports and studies provided. And as a result we now know everything there is to know except the cost and capabilities, which are key for an investment of this nature,” the source said.
A leaked, classified, high-level Pentagon briefing – dated Oct. 27 – by the top U.S. Air Force general heading the F-35 program, to the secretary of the Air Force, said that Ottawa wants four F-35s next year and that the Harper government must deliver a signed “letter of intent” by “mid-November” to secure the deal.
If Canada made good on the signed letter of intent, four F-35s, currently being produced to specifications for the U.S. Air Force, would be delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2015. Canada would then “payback with LRIP 9 aircraft,” which means Low-Rate Initial Production, two years later, according to the Pentagon document.
The Pentagon confirmed last week that the leaked briefing slides were authentic. Canada’s pitch for early delivery of four F-35s was laid out in detail on slide 11 of a 14-slide, high-level briefing to Deborah Lee James, secretary of the Air Force, by Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program executive officer.
Locking in early delivery for four F-35s would allow Canada’s fighter pilots – who covet the “fifth-generation” strike fighter – to gain experience with its sophisticated (and troubled) helmet-mounted sensors while awaiting delivery of dozens of the single-engined strike fighter.
Plagued by cost-overruns and delays, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, as it is officially known, suffered its most embarrassing setback last summer when one of the warplanes caught fire even before taking off. That led to the grounding of all F-35s and scrapped what was supposed to be a high-profile display of its capability at the air show in Britain.
With a report from Paul Koring in Washington
Canada could do far better by buying 4 chairs, with lots of seat belts, and
electrodes that connect up to a lethal power supply and bring back the death
penalty for Police Officers who Personally Fabricate Evidence like Det. Peter
Van Der Zander of the Ottawa Police.
This SHPOS personally Fabricates evidence to NOT charge violent women who
habitually abuse fathers.
Another example of a crime suitable for a new reinstated Capital punishment
offence would be Crimes against Humanity by those with a responsibility to
society to protect from such crimes.
Mr. Harper has children and lives in Ottawa. If he was not the prime minister,
he too as a father would a target for any feminist lawyer who does like seeing
children with fathers.
A classic example of such an extreme feminist, happens to be a lawyer for the
Children's Aid Society of Ottawa, Ontario's largest Criminal Cartel of
professional fabricators of evidence to remove children from fathers who happen
to be victims of domestic violence.
While Canada supports , condones and promotes such depraved criminal acts, it
will be unable to afford the luxury of a fleet of F35's.
It's time for the Conservatives to start getting tough on crime and to deal with
SHPOS who run their Fassccist Program of Gender Cleansign in Ontario.
Ottawa Mens Centre
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre
Just how can Mr. Harper not justify finding the Billions of dollars need for
a few hundred F35's and Arctic Navy vessels?
I can tell him how he can afford all that and more by simply acting as a Prime
Minister and bring back the Death Penalty for Crimes against Humanity or abuse
of power in public office.
First for trial would be the Underbelly of the judges who hang out at the
Private Club for abusers and torturers of male victims of domestic violence,
located on the 5th floor of 161 Elgin Street.
These SHPOS habitually remove children from the care of Male Victims of Domestic
Violence and deliberately place children with the most violent women in Cananada.
Then there are the Lawyers who commit crimes against the administration of
justice by personally fabricating evidence against fathers again, to place
children at a certain risk of harm with women who have incredible records for
violence towards children and partners.
Mr. Harper might consider the cost that these Criminals cost Canada, and it runs
into the mega billions, enough to buy a fleet of F35s in every province of
Canada.
If Mr. Harper Forced the Ottawa Police to stop acting as Professional Criminals
Fabricating Evidence, our courts would have a fraction of their present work
load, they would be able to fire the Criminals pretending to be judges again,
more Billions of dollars in savings.
Mr. Harper could take a look at ending the reign of terror from the Cartel of
Criminals called the Children's Aid Societies of Ontario and replace it with a
fully accountable Government Department of Child Protection and again, save
billions of dollars for other purchases of Military Hardware.
Mr. Harper has a problem, he keeps seeing threats to National Security out of
Canada but fails to see the Internal Terrorists like Marguerite Isobel Lewis a
lawyer for the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa who personally fabricates
evidence to abuse children.
When, the conservatives, start using their brains and pay attention to Canada's
threats to National Security, they will start saving all Canadians from every
political party the indignity of living in one of the most legally corrupt
countries on the planet.
Ottawa Mens Centre