Hello and welcome to Frontline.
If you are a fan of the channel, thanks for waiting through the recent video hiatus.
If you are new, this is the place to discover the most interesting events from both the
military and the emergency services.
Often we focus on the most controversial.
We have a yearly recap in the works but for now I wanted to quickly discuss the global
updates, accusations and maybe even a little scandal or two regarding the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter.
In our previous video we layed out the details on the Canadian decision to buy 88 F-35s.
The last of which would be delivered by end year 2031.
Canada has since laid out some demanding requirements declaring they want their new babies to begin
delivery as early as 2025.
If this happens, Canada would be jumping the queue, even placing us ahead of earlier orders
from other countries to receive 9 fighters no later than 2027.
Pretty ballsy demand if you ask me.
Either way, Great, it seems like someone woke up today and put on their big boy pants.
Get rdy for some new jets incoming relatively soon.
Recently SAAB and their fighter contender, the Gripen, accused Canada of breaking their
own rules in the competition that Lockheed has seemingly won.
Saab claims that Canada violated this competitive process by deciding on Lockheed while ignoring
the critical elements that should have guided their selection.
Elements such as cost, delivery and economic benefits.
Basically they are saying that Canada disregarded these points, chose their favourite shiny
first and then retroactively entered into negotiation with that company.
Canadian officials responded by stating that this is part of the ongoing finalisation phase
where the top ranking bidder must npw demonstrate how their potential contract would meet Canada's
list of requirements.
Do you agree or not, either way this could lead to an open and potentially ugly bidding
war for Papa Trudeau's attention.
At Least until hands have been shaken and all the ink is finally dry but HEY at least
we might get a nice discount right?
Well, now after enjoying several years of declining prices, That’s about to end.
The lower quantity of purchased fighters, the pandemic and the addition of more capabilities
will cause the price of an F-35 to begin to rise substantially from the 78 million per
unit it had dropped to, down from 89 million per unit.
Canada isn’t the only player getting their timbits squeezed.
Australia is also being slammed by their own defence experts who disapprove with their
choice to buy 72 F 35’s.
Pulling no punches, they claim the fighter will not meet their needs and is simply unfit
to stand up to Chinese Fighters.
Plainly stating that its history of costly problems past and present are not worth the
“total disaster” it has become.
In short, Australia should ask for a refund and get out while they can.
And they might not be the only ones potentially considering a reverse in course.
The Pentagon have announced they have temporarily stopped deliveries of the F-35 after discovering
a chinese alloy in one of its components.
Maybe they found a Huwawaii phone under the seat cushion.
While no security issue was found, this does violate their Buy American statute and an
alternative source must be found for any future aircraft.
The Pentagon also admitted that funding for the F35 program is again in the red by nearly
1.4 billion dollars and they will need to find more money before acquiring their next
batch of jets.
Thankfully none of this will affect flight operations of F-35s already in US service
but this is yet another setback for a fighter jet already plagued with problems.
Lockheed decided to double down on the bad press because they just announced their expectations
for global production of the fighter to lag and even decline next year.
Production and supply issues being the main culprit.
The total jet production for 2022 will round out to about 150, give or take.
Still, over the last year Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic and even Thailand declared
at least preliminary intent to purchase the fifth-generation aircraft.
Despite the continued pile of negative criticism there doesn’t seem to be any serious slowdown
of demand.
Israel just recently agreed to buy 17 more F35 Fighters, bringing their fleet to a cool
50.
It seems the ongoing war in Ukraine has certainly acted as a turning point for those countries
on the fence about updating their own fleets.
Then Lockheed steps in with their controversial but fanatically popular fighter jet to make
some sales.
In 2020 the F35 celebrated 20 years on the market and now Canada might finally get a
piece of that action.
Sometime in some condition at some uncertain price point in the future.