USAF to Take 136 F-18s Out of Service; But Don't Count on Any for Canada

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

The U.S. Navy is removing from service 136 of its older F-18s. That has immediately prompted suggestions in some parts of the Canadian defence community that the aircraft could be used to bolster Canada’s aging CF-18 fleet.

But don’t count on that happening.

The USN is hoping to provide the U.S. Marines with the best of the surplus aircraft to bolster the Marines’ fighter capability. And then it intends to use the others for spare parts for its F-18s still operating. The 136 aircraft will be removed from service between now and 2020.

Canadian defence sources say discussions between Canada and Australia for the purchase of 18 surplus F-18s are moving smoothly along. There is no need to look at U.S. surplus aircraft even if the USN was interested in providing them to Canada, they added.

Sajjan invites India to take part in Canada's Maple Flag

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he hopes the Indian military will eventually take part in the annual Maple Flag exercise.

Exercise Maple Flag is an international air combat exercise held at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta.

“They’ve (India) had officials come attend some of our cold weather training exercises,” Sajjan told journalists. They have sent observers to Maple Flag and I made an invite and asked them to even participate in Maple Flag. I’m hoping they’ll be able to consider this request.”

Exercise MAPLE FLAG 50 is being held from May 29 to June 23 this year.

Split between two periods of two weeks each, this year’s exercise will bring together almost 2000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel in participant or supporting roles, along with hundreds of personnel from six allied and partner nations along with multiple aircraft.

Participating International and Partner aircraft, confirmed so far:

• United States Air Force E-3 AWACS
• United States Air Force F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft
• French Air Force E-3 AWACS
• French Air Force A400M transport aircraft
• Royal Air Force E-3 AWACS
• Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft
• Discovery Air Defence Services Dornier Alpha Jet

Stage set for Maple Flag 50

By Jeff Gaye

The initial planning conference for the 50th Maple Flag exercise was held at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, during the first week of December.

The stage is set for the spring 2017 exercise, said Major Chris Horch, who commands the Air Force Tactical Training Centre at 4 Wing. “At our initial brief, we gave [the international participants] an idea of the different [flying] rules we have in Canada compared to other countries. We gave them a general overview brief of what the base offers.

“After the initial briefs,” he continued, “we had what we call the booth bay, with businesses from town that are involved in supporting Maple Flag. Rental car companies, hotels, other leisure companies as well.”

The exercise will run in two periods of two weeks each, beginning May 29 and ending June 23.

The first period will involve primarily Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, including CF-188 Hornet fighters from 4 Wing and from 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec. As well, four CH-146 Griffon and two CH-147F Chinook helicopters, and a CC-130J Hercules transport aircraft, will take part. France and the United States are each scheduled to fly an E3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft in period 1, and France plans to fly its Airbus A400M tactical airlift aircraft.

Belgian, Canadian, French and German ground troops will participate in the exercise, while the United States Marine Corps will provide logistical support.

Period 2 will involve a greater emphasis on international fighter forces. The RCAF will fly CF-188s from 4 Wing squadrons. The Republic of Singapore Air Force is slated to bring 10 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, and the United States Air Force 93rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, from Homestead, Florida, plans to contribute 12 F-16s. AWACS are scheduled to be provided by Royal Air Force and USAF E3 Sentry aircraft.

“Red Air”, flying as enemy forces, will be provided by Top Aces Alpha Jets and RCAF CF-188 Hornets.

The International Observer Program, under which potential participants get a sense of the exercise, is another important facet of Maple Flag. So far this year, 12 countries are confirmed as observers, and more may sign on.
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Jeff Gaye is an editor/reporter with 4 Wing Cold Lake base newspaper The Courier.

24 RCAF CF-18s in California for Ex. PUMA STRIKE

By: Daniel Maillet, CAF Dispatch Author

This morning Defence Watch's David Pugliese is reporting that a large number of the RCAF's CF-18 fleet is down in California to take part in the U.S. military exercise PUMA STRIKE. 

U.S. Department of Defense web page notes that 24 RCAF CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft are now at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California for the exercise. There has been no official statement from the RCAF or the CAF about the exercise. David Pugliese however, did confirm the 24 number with DND. 

A CF-188 Hornet takes off for a mission during Exercise PUMA STRIKE at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, on March 3, 2016. PHOTO: CK07-2016-0154-137, Corporal Andre Maillet

CAF Searched for 1950s USAF Crash Site - Not Lost Nuclear Bomb

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

Last week I ran some photos of a Petawawa-based Chinook helicopter dropping off and picking up members of 12 Régiment blindé du Canada. The soldiers were conducting new searches in the vicinity of Haines Junction, Yukon for a U.S. aircraft that crashed in 1950. The search was part of activities for Operation Nanook 2016.

I received some emails and twitter traffic from Defence Watch readers who speculated that the search was actually for a lost U.S. nuclear weapon.On February 13, 1950, a U.S. Air Force B-36 experienced engine problems on a training mission, flying from Alaska and along Canada’s west coast. The aircraft was carrying a Mark IV nuclear bomb (without the radioactive material). The engines caught fire and the crew had to bail. The plane’s crash site was found several years later on a mountain in British Columbia and the U.S. military sent a recovery team to collect sensitive material and destroy what remained of the B-36.What happened to the bomb continues to be debated (was it jettisoned or did it go down with the plane?). By the way, author Dirk Septer has a new updated version of his book, Lost Nuke: The Last Flight of Bomber 075, which is one of several that outlines this incident.

So were the Canadian troops looking for the lost nuke?

No, says Major Josée Bilodeau, senior public affairs officer for Joint Task Force North Headquarters. “OP NANOOK 16 activities in the vicinity of Haines Junction included a ground and air search and rescue component this year,” she explained to Defence Watch. “The search (was) for a U.S. military Douglas C-54D Skymaster with 44 U.S. military and civilian individuals on board that went missing on January 26, 1950 somewhere in that area.”

As the search and rescue component of OP NANOOK 16 was already planned, the focus area of the SAR training was co-ordinated with various civilian and other government agencies with the hopes that perhaps the wreckage of this aircraft might be located, she added.

Unfortunately, the crash site was not found.

F/A-18 & F-35 Come Face to Face in Canada

By: David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen

Last weekend the unicorn finally came to Canada.

Sitting on the tarmac at the Abbotsford Air Show, the F-35 stealth fighter made its first appearance in this country. Recently declared combat-ready by the U.S. Air Force — though critics point out much more work needs to be done on the jet — officials with its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, were jokingly referring to it by the name of the mythical beast, because it’s been talked about here so much and seen not at all.

An F-35A fighter aircraft during a flypast at the Abbotsford International Airshow on Aug. 11. “It’s hard to find bad news” about the plane, said pilot Lt.-Col. Curtis Pitts. “It’s all good news.” Both Lockheed and Boeing are promoting their longtime presence in Canada as part of their pitch. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

But the plane’s appearance in Abbotsford marked the first major shot in the next phase of the high-stakes marketing battle to sell a new fighter to the Canadian Forces.

And the two main contenders in that battle — Boeing with its Super Hornet and Lockheed with the F-35 — came face-to-face in Abbotsford.

“There’s no better vehicle to educate the public than to allow them to see the actual aircraft,” said Jack Crisler, one of Lockheed Martin’s top F-35 officials. “It’s here. It’s real.”

The Liberal government is expected to decide within months how it wants to proceed on replacing Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18 fighters.

Justin Trudeau came to power last fall pledging that a Liberal government wouldn’t buy the F-35, an aircraft he said was too expensive and unnecessary given Canada’s needs.

That should have been the kiss of death for Lockheed Martin. But Crisler said he’s feeling good these days about how Canada is moving ahead on the fighter jet file. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has talked about holding a fair and open competition. Lockheed Martin, along with other aircraft firms, recently submitted information to the government about their planes, and met Monday with federal officials.

“It looks like we’re being included, so we look forward to competing on that basis,” Crisler said.

“I’m certainly more optimistic than I was in December 2015.”

The controversial stealth fighter became a political nightmare for the Harper government after it pledged to buy 65 of the planes, which were plagued by technology problems and complaints from U.S. lawmakers about their cost.

Auditor General Michael Ferguson found that Canadian defence officials withheld key information from parliament about the proposed purchase, underestimated the costs of the jets and didn’t follow proper procurement rules.

In June, Lockheed Martin almost saw its hopes of selling planes to Canada disappear completely. The Liberal government was close to moving on an interim purchase of Super Hornets and Trudeau claimed the F-35 “does not work and is far from working.”

That prompted Lockheed Martin to warn that Canadian companies who had contracts on the F-35 would suffer. Plans for a Super Hornet interim deal seemed to disappear.

As for Trudeau’s F-35 comment, Crisler has a diplomatic response: “The evidence is not consistent with a statement like that. If you’re not living it day-to-day, you might not see that.” At the Boeing tent at the Abbotsford air show, officials smiled while pointing out the F-35 wasn’t going to be showcased in a flight demonstration that weekend. In contrast, their Super Hornets roared back and forth in front of the crowds on both days of the show.

“This is a remarkable event where we can show what our aircraft are capable of,” said top Boeing official Roberto Valla.

A Boeing representative providing commentary for the demonstrations introduced the Super Hornet as a “fifth generation stealth fighter” — a dig at Lockheed, which also bills the F-35 as such.

Boeing officials were happy to outline their sales pitch: their aircraft is combat proven, less expensive than the F-35 and will be operating with the U.S. military until at least 2040.

During a demonstration in which a Postmedia reporter flew in one of the planes, Boeing pilot Ty Frautschi claimed the Super Hornet’s capabilities are suited to both combat and Arctic patrols; its two engines provide added safety for northern flights. The jet is designed to take the pounding from short landings on aircraft carriers, he said, which would also help it handle the short runways at the Canadian military’s forward operating locations in the Arctic.

Both Lockheed and Boeing are promoting their longtime presence in Canada as part of their pitch. By September, Crisler said, Canadian firms will have been awarded US$1 billion worth of work on the F-35.

For its part, in conjunction with the air show, Boeing announced the opening of a new software lab in Vancouver, including 50 new jobs.

Crowds gathered to gawk and take photos of the planes, though the two F-35s didn’t fly. The U.S. Air Force pilots that flew them up from Utah were under strict rules not to discuss the Canadian situation.

Instead, they chatted about the aircraft’s capabilities. F-35 pilot Lt.-Col. Curtis Pitts highlighted the plane’s powerful radar and sensors, and the stealth technology that provides it with increased survivability. If necessary, Pitts said, he’d be ready to go to war in the F-35 today. “It’s hard to find bad news” about the plane, said Pitts. “It’s all good news.”

In the end, though, the Canadian Forces will have bad news for one of its suitors.

USAF General: Super Hornets Can't Do Job in Arctic

By: Matthew Fisher, Post Media, Ottawa Citizen 

A recently retired senior U.S. Air Force general with decades of experience defending the margins of North American air space agrees with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that there will be a “capability gap” in defending the northern approaches to the continent.

But retired Lt.-Gen. Michael Dubie, a deputy commander of the U.S. Northern Command until last year, offered a different explanation for the gap and recommended that Canada find out the best way to defend the continent by holding a competition.

After Postmedia reported last month that the government was close to buying Boeing’s fourth-generation Super Hornets to replace some of its current fleet of CF-18s, the prime minister told the Commons that Lockheed Martin’s stealthy fifth-generation F-35 would not be able to fill the developing capability gap because it “is far from working.”

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Canada had to act now to close the gap in order to be able to fulfil its responsibilities in NORAD and NATO.

Dubie dismissed the idea that the F-35 was still somehow an experimental aircraft.

After noting that “every new airplane ever designed takes a whole lot of time to operationalize,” the former test and evaluation pilot said the U.S. Marine Corps had already declared IOC (initial operational capability) on its variant of the F-35 and that the USAF planned to do the same by the end of the year with the model that the Harper government had been considering buying.

“The milestones are being met. They are on track,” the former three-star general said of the F-35. “Sure, there are problems, but this airplane is going forward and it is going to be in the fleets of many countries for many decades to come. They already have 50,000 or 60,000 hours and it is just getting better as the bugs are ironed out.”

The capability gap was not because the F-35 was not ready, he said, but would occur if Canada and other countries did not purchase the right aircraft to confront a rapidly evolving threat.

“The threat — and let’s be candid here — is that the Russian threat is evolving and it will become harder to combat in the future without fifth-generation aircraft,” Dubie said.

“NORAD has to continually evolve with technology and with capability because the threat against North America is going to evolve, too. The F-35 is designed for the threats of the 21st century and those threats will require a much more sophisticated platform than we have in fourth-generation aircraft.”

This was because the F-35 had “a suite of advanced avionics that provide a superior 360 degrees of situational awareness that can target, track and, if needed, engage a variety of threats to North America whether it be small bots (swarms of tiny weapons), UAVs, advanced long-range cruise missiles, all the way to commercial airliners.

“The threat is going to become more complex. Information dominance across all spectrums will be essential. That is the F-35’s strength.”

Dubie, whose father was from Trois Rivieres, Que., emphasized that he did not wish his remarks to be construed as a criticism of the Canadian government.

“I am not trying to be disrespectful to your prime minister or your minister of defence. I am not being cavalier,” he said. “I am not saying he is wrong. I am saying the threat is going to demand fifth-generation aircraft.”

A command pilot with 1,500 hours on the F-16s and hundreds of hours on other jets, Dubie said he had reached this conclusion based on what he had learned from flying missions charged with intercepting Russian aircraft.

“Around Alaska, they have become incredulous about the aggressiveness of the Russians,” he said. “They are launching complex package of airplanes — bombers, Mi-G-31s (fighters) and tankers — with navy ships below. When we send out AWACS (reconnaissance planes), F-22s and tankers, they are sucking up all our data. It is an orchestrated, sophisticated air campaign the likes of which we have never seen before. They are getting better and more aggressive.”

Dubie’s opinion is significant because of the key jobs he has held helping to oversee the defence of North America and because he does not work for either Lockheed or Boeing.

Since last November he has been the president of Revision Military Technologies, a Vermont-based subsidiary of Montreal’s Revision Military Inc., which makes military eyewear and tactical gear.

While not closely informed on the manufacturing schedules of the F-35 or the Super Hornet, which first flew 21 years ago, he said that “what I do know about the Super Hornet is that it is near the end of the line. As I understand the timeline, the F-35 would be available to cover any capability gap on the NORAD mission.”

Dubie rejected the reasoning of F-35 critics who have said that because it has a single engine and the Super Hornet has twin engines, the latter aircraft was a superior choice for operations across the vastness of the north. He noted that the USAF had operated single-engine F-16s for years from a base in northern Alaska, and intended to soon replace those jets with F-35s that had “even more reliable” engines.

The Danes and Norwegians intended to defend the High Arctic with F-35s, too, he said.

“I am not against the Super Hornet,” Dubie said. “What I am saying is that the F-35 will have greater inter-operability with the U.S. fleet and other NATO partners.”

Asked what was the most prudent way for Canada to make the crucial, multi-billion dollar decision about which aircraft was best to defend the country for the next 40 years, Dubie replied “the ultimate question is why would you not have an open competition in Canada? If you have a competition, the strengths and weaknesses of the air frames will come out.

“I cannot envisage any scenario in which the F-35 does not come out better than the Super Hornet or any other aircraft. Fourth-generation jets, they just aren’t as capable.”