Despite cost sharing it is still pretty damn expensive (maybe not relative to the raptor), and if we can't afford it ourselves then maybe we should put the program on hold until we can. My major gripe is sharing state of the art tech with other nations.
The F-18 is Navy, and the newer ones are going to be around a while. F-16 and F-15 are air force. Fighter jets are not designed to last 30 yaers, and technology changes a lot in that time. We need new jets but I would like to ee the UCAV mature, then we wont have rear visibility problems.
That's interesting. I don't see that it would make sense though because the Canadian government wouldn't be buying that many planes. They would have to feel like they could sell some in the world market and compete against the U.S., France, Russia, China and I don't know who else. And, startup costs and thier technology lag would somehow have to be overcome.
We better keep things stirred up in the ME or state side may be the only training and testing ground. I read a few months ago that new drone pilots are trained by having them follow cars down the freeway as if they were targets. I don't recall if these were U.S. freeways or where. But California seems logical.
bombardier has made military planes before, and add Sweden, Brazil, Isreal, the EU (not just france) to the list of competitors. I have to wonder just how lucrative it can be at the lower end of the fighter jet market. tech lags are easily solved by stealing