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By Doug Collins

ONE MAN'S OPINION

COLLINS: The jury is out on the F-35

Jan 13, 2023 | 5:57 AM

CANADA’S SOLDIERS have always been some of the best in the world.

They have, over two World Wars, been handed some of the toughest assignments and gained victories many thought were near-impossible to achieve. As peacekeepers, they served with distinction in many parts of the world, despite a lack of resources.

After World War II, our senior operations staff were crippled thanks to government interference and a lot of pressure from the United States. We built one of the best fighters ever, the Avro Arrow. A plane far beyond its time and as late as 2012, I have seen documents suggesting that a number of operational systems on the Arrow were still better than anything flying in the sky at that time.

But the U.S convinced us that, with the Cold War building, we should concentrate on missile defence, and so we scrapped the Arrow and bought the Bomarc missiles. But our government bought the missiles while stating they would not arm them with a nuclear tip. Without anything to explode, of course, they were useless, so we finally caved and armed them, but they never saw a useful implementation.

Our navy was a shambles, so we thought we should buy some old rusty submarines. Again, on the advice of our allies. We’re still trying to get them working. A shining example of our ineptitude.

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On to the F-35s.

What does Canada need most of all right now? Aside from more soldiers and resources to support them? An aircraft capable of flying long distances and patrolling the longest coastline in the world. One that can carry a large payload and that doesn’t require a lot of mid-air refuelling. As climate changes occur, the Arctic ice is receding, opening up the possibility of more traffic over the Northern water course. Justifying the need for a long-range aircraft.

So what are we spending tens of billions of dollars on? A plane that has a very short range and only capable of carrying a low to moderate payload. The manufacturers have made some changes since we first started looking at them, but logic tells me they’re not enough to solve the problem. There are better planes out there, I think, which would serve our purpose better.

The F-35 is a great plane. I just don’t think it can do the job we want it to do. It’s great for a European theatre, because it fits the topgraphy of Europe, and because many of our allies are buying them, it makes sense to have that interoperability. It doesn’t make sense for our needs at home.

Another waste of money to accomplish very little. I don’t have any greater sense of safety knowing these planes are what’s protecting us.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.