Canada

Meh, you can find them for like $75 million here in the states if you shop around...

https://web.archive.org/web/20230919001454/https://charleston.craigslist.org/avo/d/mount-pleasant-stealth-fighter/7667184419.html

With the shit that Russia is pulling now, we're going to be very glad we have these.

Stealth isn't just a "first strike capability", it's the cornerstone of all modern combat. The way you win any fight, on the ground, at sea, or in the air, is by being able to engage the enemy before they can engage you.

Right now Russia does not have a true stealth capable fifth gen fighter. The SU-57 is, even according to Russia's numbers, "low visibility" at best. And Russia has maybe six of those. With the F-35 Canada outmatches every single plane Russia is capable of putting in the sky, to an absolutely ridiculous degree.

I don't like the fact that we have to think about questions like "What if Putin goes so far into crazy town that he actually launches an invasion of Canada through the Arctic", but recent events have demonatrated that that possibility really does exist, and we need to plan for it. Or, at least, we need to make the prospect so unpalatable that he wouldn't consider it.

And to head off a couple of obvious questions:

"But the Philippines just defeated a stealth plane using a regular jet."

It was carrying drop tanks. Under no real peer-to-peer combat scenario would that plane ever be carrying drop tanks. They completely ruin the stealth capabilities of the craft. Where Russia historically inflates the capabilities of their equipment, America does the opposite, always making their top tier stuff seem worse than it is so that no one can plan to beat it.

"But I've heard that the F-35 was an expensive disaster that can't do anything well."

The man you heard this from, once you trace the claim back to its source, will inevitably turn out to have been Pierre Sprey. Sprey got a lot of time on CNN and other news shows (including, frequently, Russia Today) as an "expert". He is not. He claimed to have designed the F-15, the F-16, and the A-10. In reality he sat in on one meeting about the F-15, and had basically nothing to do with the other projects.

Sprey was (he died a couple of years ago) a lunatic who believes that modern technology is too complicated and holds back the capabilities of well trained soldiers. You know, modern technology like radar and missiles. Sprey genuinely advocated for all aircraft to be replaced with single seat fighters armed with a cannon and nothing else (look up the "Blitz fighter"). He was an idiot who somehow lied his way into a career as an expert on TV despite having no actual expertise. The world is better for his passing.

Who would win (funding)?

• A high speed rail project between Quebec City and Windsor 🚅
• Some wooshy bois 🛩

Total program costs end up being ~$18M/yr per plane for 45 years. Not horrible for a 5th gen fighter.
Still not cheap.

This is actually news in reverse. Considering present world situation (Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the works) and the fact that between election in 2016 and now situation is absolutely and categorically different, Canada does need modern fleet. War in Ukraine highlighted all of the weaknesses of old equipment as well as prompted NATO members to be ready to depmoy forces outside of their own borders (yes, russia won't be attacking Canada, but it may attack nearby NATO states and Canada will have to step in. Sending our pilots for slaughter under those conditions is wreckless).

While I'm no fan of JT and his flipping on promisses, this time I think there's credit due. Article title should've read: "Canadian government reacted to military escalations around the globe by moving forward with fleet upgrade". We can debate what should fleet be upgraded to, but the fact that it has to be upgraded is obvious.

Wondering if waiting/delaying the eventual purchase of F-35 ended up being more expensive for Canada overall? Or did it become less expensive per "plane" (including servicing/maintenance contract, training, etc.) considering the manufacturing processes have been streamlined since then?

This is fine and expected, media just loves to run a headline with a big number to farm clicks. There is no real news here.

Few military assets are more expensive than fighter jets. Our CF-18s are verging on obsolete and the costs of just keeping them in the air is ballooning as every single part of them are going beyond their operational lives.

We basically won't have an air fleet in 2 decades if we don't buy the F-35s now, and trying to refurbish the CF-18s while we hold out for the next generation or something will cost us tens of billions in refurbishment and maintenance fees alone while running an air fleet that can only keep up with 3rd rate air forces. Even if we can somehow hold on until a newer and more cost effective jet comes to market, any discount we can get from that will be nothing compared to the extra cost of keeping the CF-18s running. Not to mention the pure reduction in capacity in the meantime. We still have to patrol the north, and anything we use for that can't be spending weeks under maintenance between sorties.

Gee, if only we had election reform to help us get a better leader.