In other recent fighter competitions, e.g. Finland and Switzerland, the F-35 has emerged as the clear choice amongst the same group of aircraft mentioned in the article. If the F-35 had not won in Canada, it would have indicated a rigged procurement.
Agree with all of what you say. That said, for at least the last thirty years, the Air Force has, for the most part, decided at he outset what particular aircraft they want, and worked from there to get it. This approach has mostly worked for them, except in the cases of the Maritime Helicopter and Fixed Wing Search and Rescue aircraft.
Agreed fixed wing SAR. Not so much maritime helicopter — for the first cut (early-2990s), the Mulroney Govt pick of the EH-101 as a Sea King replacement was a good bet, except famously killed by Chretien’s ill-informed reflex (the model for Trudeau fils on the F-35), after which his (Chrétien) fixed the bidding so that anything but the EH-101 would get the contract, thence dragging it out for the 2 decades that resulted in a troublesome product.
In other recent fighter competitions, e.g. Finland and Switzerland, the F-35 has emerged as the clear choice amongst the same group of aircraft mentioned in the article. If the F-35 had not won in Canada, it would have indicated a rigged procurement.
Agree with all of what you say. That said, for at least the last thirty years, the Air Force has, for the most part, decided at he outset what particular aircraft they want, and worked from there to get it. This approach has mostly worked for them, except in the cases of the Maritime Helicopter and Fixed Wing Search and Rescue aircraft.
Agreed fixed wing SAR. Not so much maritime helicopter — for the first cut (early-2990s), the Mulroney Govt pick of the EH-101 as a Sea King replacement was a good bet, except famously killed by Chretien’s ill-informed reflex (the model for Trudeau fils on the F-35), after which his (Chrétien) fixed the bidding so that anything but the EH-101 would get the contract, thence dragging it out for the 2 decades that resulted in a troublesome product.