The F-35 is about one thing, stealth. This light attack bomber sacrifices everything for that one quality, stealth. It sacrifices payload and range, two pretty important abilities for a penetration bomber intended to attack important targets in heavily defended enemy airspace. It also sacrifices every quality that makes a great
Continue readingTag: f-35
The Disaffected Lib: A Common Sense Admiral
Jonathan Greenert says he supports the F-35 light strike bomber but the man does have reservations. Admiral Greenert has whipped up a storm by saying that advantages from America’s prized stealth technology will be “difficult to maintain”. The other side’s sensors, he argues, may operate at lower electromagnetic frequencies than stealth
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Giant Chip on Our Shoulder, The One You Supposedly Can’t See
I wonder what the Chinese and the Russians must be making of our current obsession with stealth warplanes? My guess is that they view our focus on stealth as a terrific strategic advantage – for themselves. Here’s what I’m thinking they’re thinking. 1. They know the F-35 is insanely expensive
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Dutch Bail on F-35
It was close – 77 to 71 – but it was enough for the Dutch parliament to cancel their planned purchase of 80 F-35 stealth light attack bombers. Lockheed is trying to put the best face on the setback, saying the Dutch could always change their minds – and votes
Continue readingcenterandleft: Conservative Transparancy Now Scientifically Proven to be a Joke
51st place isn’t necessarily always a bad thing. The 51st wealthiest person in the world, or the 51st smartest are blessed to be so lucky. It’s a placement they can be proud of. When your country is ranked 51st on any list, it is unlikely to be a source of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: How Do You Compete Against a Computer Game?
That’s the dilemma faced by South Korea’s Defence Aquisition Program Administration (DAPA). DAPA is trying to hold a competition for new jet fighters for South Korea’s air force. There are three competitors on the short list, two of which have actually shown up, ready for hands-on evaluation – the F-15SE and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: More F-35 Troubles Loom
One of the ongoing controversies plaguing the F-35 has been what powers it. There was early backing for two engines to be developed but Congress angrily quashed that in favour of but one, Pratt & Whitney’s F-135 power plant. Now the P&W backers, including Senator Joe Lieberman, are up in
Continue readingImpolitical: Today in secret deliberations
Something to watch for today as the Conservatives keep digging their democratic deficit, the Commons public accounts committee meets to decide the future of the F-35 hearings. Not in public, mind you! Where do you think you are? The committee is scheduled to meet again Thursday behind closed doors. The
Continue readingImpolitical: Lockheed Martin pulls out the big guns
This report today just says so much about the whole F-35 program. Lockheed Martin is now publicly threatening that Canadian firms that have received F-35 industrial contracts to date may not get continued work in the future if our government goes with another jet. Heck of a way to run
Continue readingImpolitical: Tendencies at the top
This is a troubling story that deserves attention: “RCMP conducted five-month national security probe into leaked F-35 story.” The Harper government called in the RCMP to investigate a politically embarrassing story involving the decision to sole-source the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter, claiming it was a breach of national
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: F-35: Don’t Need No Stinking Accountability
I am genuinely concerned that there is no viable alternative party for conservatives in Canada who have, to this point, put all of their eggs into the Harper basket(case) Conservative Party of Canada. It’s staggering, the amount of intellectual fortitude (dishonesty) it takes to justify the crimes, the lying, the
Continue readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: Conservative Support Among Older Canadians Plummets. NDP Leads Now By A Wide Margin
CARP, (Canadian Association of Retired Persons), has released their latest poll regarding federal politics. For the first time in years, a party other than the Conservatives leads. The NDP now has an 8 point lead over the Conservatives. This poll definitely spells trouble for the Conservatives as their core support
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: What The F-35?
A lawsuit, jets, lies, no accountability? [Canadians] “feel completely manipulated, completely lied to and they are pissed off; they want a corporation like Air Canada to be accountable for misleading them.” Oh, nope, sorry that’s Air Canada, not the F-35 story, my mistake. “In my view, no clear evidence has
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Here’s What The F-35 is Really About. Canada’s First, First-Strike Air Force
It’s about one thing – a sneak attack against China. And that’s just what the United States Air Force had in mind when it conducted Operation Chimichanga. Wired magazine’s military correspondents David Axe and Noah Shachtman described what is on American military planners’ minds. “The first sign of the coming
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: It’s Very, Very Good – Only It’s Very, Very Not
The folks at DND have grown used to treating our Parliamentarians and the Canadian public like imbecilic dupes. That much comes through loud and clear in the 160-word letter the department issued to justify the purchase of the exceedingly overdue, grossly overpriced and haplessly underperforming F-35 light bomber. The letter
Continue readingLeDaro: F-35: Harper government lied about its cost stealthily
Harper and minions were hoping no one will catch on to their lies. Too bad for them because stealth lies about the cost of the F—35 Jet turned out to be not so stealth after all and truth started showing bit by bit on the public radar. Kevin Page, the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: If They Told You the Truth, How Were They Supposed to Lie?
Oh the naivete of Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. He says that, despite being ordered by Parliament to do so in 2010, the Department of National Defence did not provide him with full information about F-35 costs. “Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that the Department of
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: F-35: Thirty Five ways to Fail
MacKay has implicated the whole CPC cabinet as being complicit in an attempt to deceive voters prior to last year’s election as to the true cost of new fighter jets. Another unprecedented situation where every [then] cabinet minister of the government should resign for misleading Parliament (and thus lying to
Continue readingbastard.logic: The F-35 boondoggle in context: This “is oppressive, dictatorial regime-building that would do any petro-state proud”
We are definitely not in Kansas anymore, Canuckistan — and Michael Harris says that we just had our “Wizard of Oz moment”: The curtain has been well and truly whipped away from the PM’s self-promoting deceptions and he is revealed for what he is: a power-tripper on a mission to
Continue readingLeDaro: Stephen Harper likes to sing songs
Here is a good one that he should be singing. It is about his beloved F-35.
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