[Newsbot]

Title: Boeing Shows Super Hornets Bristling With 14 Missiles In Formal Sales Pitch To Canada
Category: Military
Posted By: DrCaleb
Date: 2020-08-02 10:16:52
Canadian

[DrCaleb]

Another good write up:

https://www.defensenews.com/global/the- ... mpetition/

[CDN_PATRIOT]

I've been saying from the freaking beginning that we should buy Super Hornets!! But oh no, no one ever listens to me!!! They have what we need, our pilots can already fly them, their cost is excellent, and we can get way more bang for our buck!

Can someone PLEASE just buy the fucking Super Hornets (and lots of them!) already????

-J.

[DrCaleb]

Is some one talking?

[Freakinoldguy]

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

I've been saying from the freaking beginning that we should buy Super Hornets!! But oh no, no one ever listens to me!!! They have what we need, our pilots can already fly them, their cost is excellent, and we can get way more bang for our buck!

Can someone PLEASE just buy the fucking Super Hornets (and lots of them!) already????

-J.

There's a reason for the big push for sales from Boeing. The US Navy has cut 36 previously ordered Super Hornets from their budget. And, when you read the article, it appears that they're waiting for the new strike fighter that's due online in the next 10 years.

$1:

“The Navy’s budget proposal removes 36 Super Hornet strike-fighter aircraft planned after fiscal year 2021 and begins shutdown of the F/A-18 production line beginning in 2023, increasing the Navy’s strike-fighter shortfall next year. Further, we need to understand what gives Navy leadership and acquisition officials confidence that terminating Super Hornet production 10 years before the next generation FA-XX strike-fighter, currently existent on just briefing slides, is prudent,” Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) said in his opening statement.

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/10/navy-s ... ext%20year.

Sadly as for us picking up the cast offs I doubt we can get them given the US Marine Corps seems to be interested in acquiring them. But given that the US military is slowly divesting themselves of this asset I'd say that if we were going to commit now would be the time.

The Navy was going to buy 24 Super Hornets for a cost of 1.8 Billion which is about the price of two over valued F35's. So when you do the math would we rather have 2 F35's or 24 Super Hornets. I know what my answer is and it doesn't include the F-35 which is pretty much like buying a Ferrari just so you can hang with the cool kids when the reality is that you have the budget for a Toyota Corolla.

$1:

Boeing said its F/A-18 Super Hornet production line has work until 2025 thanks to purchases of dozens of aircraft by the US Navy and the Kuwaiti Air Force – a change in fortunes for a platform that was supposed to be obsolete by now.

The only thing that scares me is that at some point the Super Hornets will stop being produced and then we might start having supply and replacement issues especially given how long we keep our military equipment in service. But if we could get at least 24 of them for that price it would be worth it to keep them as a stopgap measure till we can find either another twin engine fighter capable of Arctic operation or we go completely to drones.

https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 23.article

[Thanos]

After all the spending for COVID we probably won't even be buying the Hyundai Elantra version of fighter jet. More like going on Kijiji looking for spare parts to keep our 1977 Honda Civic, excuse me, F-18A's going for another couple of generations.

We really need to take ourselves out of the fourth/fifth/sixth-generation mentality though. Not only can we not afford those kinds of planes we have no need for them. We aren't a militarily aggressive nation with a need to project power all across the planet. All we need is equipment for home defense, and that's all. If that means using something like the SuperBugs, or the Rafaels, or the Eurofighters, then do it. There is no plausible scenario right now that says we need to massively overspend "in case" we get into it with the Russians or Chinese in the next twenty years. The Americans can afford it. We can't, and we never will. Yes, buy SOMETHING so we can finally retire the Hornets. Don't let these fuckers talk us into something that's going to be approaching a billion dollars per plane though. It's been enough of an embarrassment with the dealings on the F-35. Doubling-down on an even more ludicrously expensive plane for when the Lightning II's need to start retiring is completely ridiculous.

[xerxes]

If not the Super Hornet, the RCSF should go for the offer from Saab. They have a proven track record in fighter design, they’re a NATO ally, and they’re offering a better deal than Boeing and Lockheed.

[Scape]

It may be time to look at decommissioning altogether and comming at the problem from a new angle. A combonation of drones, satellites and blimps/propellor driven aircraft.

Simply put the time and money required to create, maintain and project such power may be far more expensive then what it is worth. If we need a rapid interceptor with a long range we need to ascertain why there isn't a better mouse trap out there in the last 60 years. The fact is there is and the industry that supports powered manned flight has a vested interest.

A low tech and decentralized aproach should be the focus for a long term investment. I am sure that a small powereful but focused interceptor group could be maintained but not for the entire country 24-7, 365 days a year. We don't even do that now and it is long time past thinking that is a viable option.

[Sunnyways]

From my barstool the Hornets look like a good bet. We can’t use Gorilla tape on our existing fighters indefinitely and we shouldn’t need Trump to tell us to pull our weight in NATO. Russian incursions in the Arctic are only going to increase. Let’s hope such a purchase could get us through to the end of piloted fighters. More generally, our military procurement program is a complete embarrassment. It should never have become a political football.

[uwish]

super hornet block 3 are an impressive bird and have all the same sensors and glass flight deck as the F-35. I have a friend who is just qualifying on the block 3 birds in the USN, they seem right up there with the stealthy ones..minus the stealth and a lot better price tag.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler ... c238c83d38

[bootlegga]

If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Boeing doesn't have a hope in hell of winning the fighter competition because of the BS they pulled with Bombardier's C-Series plane back in 2017. Remember, Trudeau's government cancelled a planned stop gap purchase of 18 Super Hornets as a way of punishing Boeing.

My bet is that we'll wind up with the F-35 anyways, because purchasing the Saab will piss off the US - including whoever is the president after November's election.

The problem is that because of their exorbitant cost, we'll get far fewer of F-35s than we really need. If that happens, it will be insanely frustrating because we could have had these in service already if Trudeau hadn't cancelled the order from the Harper government.

[DrCaleb]

^^^

Has been paying attention to 40 years of government diddling on the matter.

[uwish]

Military hardware procurement in Canada is a complete and utter shit show. If at any time there was a 'right' time to dump billions into the military it is now. After a quarter Trillion in additional debt in 5 months, what would another 100B be?

nothing.

[bootlegga]

uwish uwish:

Military hardware procurement in Canada is a complete and utter shit show. If at any time there was a 'right' time to dump billions into the military it is now. After a quarter Trillion in additional debt in 5 months, what would another 100B be?

nothing.

Agreed, best part is a lot of it would be spent in Canada, be it on ships, LAVs or new fighters.