There is a way the U.S. could play hardball with Canada, if the Liberal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney decides it wants to limit its purchase of F-35s in favour of the Gripen.
Critics who favour the Lockheed-Martin stealth fighter have long argued that the Swedish-built Gripen would not be interoperable with American aircraft and the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).
That’s not what you see at the NATO air policing mission in Iceland, where Danish-owned F-35s have been training and operating alongside Swedish JAS-39 Gripens-Cs.
Commanders of both the Swedish and Danish air forces, speaking at the airfield in Keflavik on Tuesday, said the aircraft have been performing well together.
American approval required for system that allows Gripens and F-35s to communicate
Just means we need more Gripens, it’s not a red card because we don’t want any American tech in our military.
If they go that far, then yes, the only reasonable response would be to stop any purchases of US equipment altogether.
I doubt they will, for that exact reason. It’s the kind of hardball move I’m sure Trump would very much like to pull, but I’m also sure that his handlers / diaper changers recognize how damaging it would be, not just to any future sales to Canada, but future sales across the world. Nobody wants to buy from a store that constantly changes or refuses to honour their own terms of service. There are already concerns that the US might stop offering firmware updates to buyers of the F-35, but those concern are at least hypothetical, currently. If they pull this “red card” it very much stops being hypothetical. Maybe you sell a few more units to buyers who are currently locked in (that might even include Canada), but you lose basically any future business from everyone who has better options.
Even if they don’t go that far, anyone in our history who approved the purchase of equipment from our historically biggest enemy should be in jail.
Congratulations on your purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II! Your new stealth strike fighter will enable you to rain death upon your enemies from afar like never before.
WARNING: Any use of your F-35 in conjunction with non-Lockheed branded aircraft or ground support, against unauthorized targets, or with 3rd-party non-authorized fuel or ink cartridges may impair the normal operation of your aircraft. No user-serviceable parts inside. Only authorized dealerships may repair the F-35. Attempts to disassemble the ECU may result in loss of data. Advertised maintenance costs are typical and may differ from your experience.
The engines for the Gripens are also made by the US and can be restricted by them. Talk of a Rolls-Royce replacement never seem to have materialized into anything that isn’t still many years away.
TIL the Rolls-Royce thing went nowhere.
I kind of wonder if ground based missiles might be better for defending ourselves from the US, anyway. Although the US is thought to make the best there too.
Have you looked into how we’re integrating with the Golden Dome? The Over the Horizon Radar systems we bought from the Ozzies are there to integrate with the Golden Dome as part of the sensor system feeding into the Command and Control. Politically, it’s being framed as NORAD enhancement in Canada, but senior Canadian military leadership have said there have been plans to integrate into a system like the Golden Dome for years.
END ALL AMERICAN ARMS PURCHASES NOW.
In that case use our F and CF series for NORAD exercises and Gripens for joint-EU and NATO exercises.
