F-35 Controversy

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11 April 2012

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Canada’s F-35

Fighter Controversy

The Harper government claimed the cost of buying and maintaining 65 F-35 fighter jets was just under $15 billion; the Auditor General says the bill will be $25 billion

The F-35 fighter jet (above) is probably the most advanced flying war machine in the world. Built by Lockheed Martin in the United States, the first of the 65 aircraft for Canada is expected to be delivered in 2016 and will replace Canada’s aging CF-18 fighters, which are going into retirement between 2017 and 2020.

Called the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35, is being developed with funding from several nations. According to Industry Canada “Globally, the JSF is the largest fighter aircraft program, with an expected total value of US$383 billion, and production expected to top 5,000 aircraft.

“Canada is one of nine countries partnering on the JSF program, along with the U.S., U.K., Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, and Australia. It is estimated that the partner countries will be purchasing about 3,000 aircraft, and 2,000 will be exported to other countries.”

What are the F-35 Capabilities?

The F-35 is a single-seater, single-engine fighter jet. That one engine delivers close to 20,000 kilos (43,000 lbs) of thrust; enough to accelerate up to almost 2,000 km/h (1,200 mph) in a stomach-churning few seconds.

The machine bristles with weapons that can be changed around depending on the mission. Cannon and missiles can be carried within the aircraft frame and, says Global Security “Seven external stations provide an assortment of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons including the full range of ‘smart’ munitions.”

The cockpit comes loaded with electronic displays that make today’s video games look a bit like “Pong.” As well, the pilot has a video display that is projected onto his or her helmet visor (left).

The F-35 has “stealth” capability, known in the military business as “low observability.” This is technology that makes it difficult to detect the aircraft

Does Canada Need this Aircraft?

Mercedes Stephenson is a military analyst based in Calgary. In July 2010, she told the CBC that the purchase of the F-35 was essential to Canadian security: “We have to have fighter jets. Canada is a massive country, and when you think purely about response times, there is nothing else that can get across the country as fast as a fighter jet.”

Canada also has international treaty commitments to its allies. These are mutual defence arrangements that can’t be honoured much longer with our creaky, old CF-18s. It makes sense for Canada to be using the same aircraft as its allies; communications, maintenance, and the exchange of experience are all benefits.

Writing in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record (November 8, 2010) columnist Geoffrey Stevens points out the economic benefits that will come from “the investment and jobs that will be created in the aerospace sector as firms in Canada secure contracts to build components and systems for the F-35.”

Many Critics Argue Planes are not Needed

The first issue raised by opponents to the F-35 purchase is that the contract is untendered. It’s normal practice for any government purchase of more than $25,000 to be put out to open tender, so that all suppliers have a chance to bid for the contract.

At the Canadian International Council, David S. McDonough writes that “There were clearly other possible fighter alternatives to the F-35, such as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Eurofighter Typhoon.”

Perhaps, these planes could have been bought at a better price and have been better suited to Canadian conditions. We’ll never know say critics.

Winslow T. Wheeler is the Director of the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC, and he has become a very vocal critic of the F-35 program.

He says the cost of the F-35 was set at $79 million per aircraft in 2001. By 2007, this had risen to $122 million each. In April 2010, he wrote in the political newsletter counterpunch.org that “No one should be surprised if the final F-35 total program unit cost reaches $200 million per aircraft after all the fixes are paid for.”

And, according to Wheeler, the F-35 is so full of glitches and design problems that it “will be less effective than airplanes it replaces.”

Image credits

Brigadier General Charles R.Davis, USAF

U.K. Ministry of Defence

Lockheed Martin

Sources

“Canada to Spend $9B on F-35 Fighter Jets.” CBC News, July 16, 2009.

“Canada Needs to Shop Around for Jets.” Geoffrey Stevens, KW-Record, November 8, 2010.

“Canada and the F-35 Procurement: An Assessment.” David S. McDonough, Canadian International Council, October 29, 2010.

“The Self-dismembering F-35.” Winslow T. Wheeler, counterpunch, April 2010.

Canada’s Defence Chief Rejects Criticism of F-35 Jet.” Ian Austen and Christopher Drew, New York Times, July 16, 2010.

“AG ‘Troubled’ by Cost Overruns, Delays in Helicopter Purchases.” Juliet O’Neill, Postmedia News, October 26, 2010.

Updated March 11, 2011, April 2012

COST OVERRUNS

Columnist Geoffrey Stevens, writing in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record (November 2010) makes this point: “There’s a rule of thumb in the military hardware business: the cost will prove to be at least 50 percent higher than forecast and the delivery time one third longer than promised.”

The wisdom of this was borne out by Canada’s Auditor General Sheila Fraser in her annual report in October 2010.

Writing in the Vancouver Sun (October 26, 2010) Juliet O’Neill reported that, “Fraser’s audit said the cost of purchasing and servicing 28 CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopters and 15 CH-147 cargo-styled Chinooks has reached $11 billion — more than twice the initial $5 billion estimates defence officials provided to cabinet, excluding service and maintenance costs.”

Ms. Fraser added that the delivery of the planes is already five years behind schedule.

HOW MUCH?

The Harper government has consistently told Canadians the total cost of the fleet of F-35s is just under $15 billion.

During the 2011 federal election campaign Prime Minister Stephen Harper is quoted by CTV News (April 8, 2011) as saying “You have to understand that in terms of the F-35 costs, we’ve been very detailed with those to the Canadian public.”

Now, Canada’s Auditor General Michael Ferguson says the federal cabinet knew as long ago as 2010 that the true cost of the fighter purchase is $25 billion.

According to The Toronto Star (April 5, 2012), “Senior members of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government would have known that the cost of the aircraft had shot up to $25 billion by the time of the 2011 election but publicly stuck to a lower estimate of $15 billion, Auditor General Michael Ferguson said.”

Earlier, in 2011, Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Chief Kevin Page said the Conservative government was seriously underestimating the cost of the F-35 fighter jets.

According to Megan Fitzpatrick of CBC News (March 10, 2011), “Page estimates the acquisition cost for the fleet at $9.7 billion and the ongoing sustainment cost for it at $19.6 billion.”

This totals $29.3 billion, a far cry from the $15 billion the government consistently claimed to be the price tag.

“Canada’s air force rarely flies combat missions, arguably making some of the F-35’s advanced features, like radar-evading stealth, seem like frills.

Unlike the twin-engine CF-18, the F-35 has only one engine. Its failure could leave pilots exposed to the harsh Arctic environment as they await rescue.”

New York Times

July 2010

Former Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff said he would cancel the F-35 contract and hold an open competition to find a replacement for the CF-18s.

Both the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois oppose the F-35 purchase.