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Why bother paying anything? Let it go to court. Threatening annexation should fall under some kind of hostilities clause, national security clause, or force majeure clause. Anyway who's going to collect?
The US government can pay ~~MD~~ Lockheed, they're the ones who threatened annexation.
Edit... Fixed above, not sure why I had MacDonell Douglas on my mind...strange substitution for a company that no longer exists under that name.
Not saying you're wrong, but certainly that would be added to the made-up list of reasons to annex Canada.
If it is mentioned, say "We have changed our course and will pay in full." Then don't pay. Wait a week and say "We changed course and won't pay." repeatedly flip flop like a Trump.
Notwithstanding clause. Don't pay a fucking dime.
Besides war declared by US, that makes US permissions on every flight a deal breaker, the plane is a POS, and we should be refunded for returning every existing plane we may already have. Cancelling deal for cause, with zero penalty, despite any contract is the right move.
Ford blew twice that to put beer in gas stations. Clearly we have the money to blow π€‘
We need to pull out of this deal, the last thing Canada needs is to buy weapons from the country that has designs to annex us. And that sells weapons with kill switches.
It doesn't have a kill switch. It's a computer program that helps the radar and stuff. Right now everyone's program goes to the US for QA before they fly with it. It's purely by agreement, countries are absolutely physically capable of doing this on their own.
Weapons they need permission to use.
The daily unlock code thing is a myth. The grain of truth is that the F-35 relies heavily on mission data files (MDFs), which are region-specific software packages that enable the jet to recognize threats, navigate, and employ weapons, and we depend on the US being willing to supply those updates voluntarily for our fighter jets to be useful.
And Canada is perfectly capable of generating those files themselves.
Exactly. Absolutely it has to be cancelled based on the fact that the imminent danger to Canada is from the US. No way we should be buying their weapons, listening to their media etc.
That feels like an internet rumour. How would that even work? Like if someone took out LM's servers all F-35s in the world would no longer function? If an enemy jammed the signal they wouldn't work?
There's no need to invent problems anyway. The US could potentially cut off Canada from parts needed to maintain the planes and that's reason enough to cancel it.
Of course Canada needs to leave. Do Canadian politicians think the US will supply it with parts as it invades?
Buy some Gripen and/or Eurofighters and join GCAP.
Yes! GCAP. Still need a stopgap. Maybe stick with F-35, but reduce our commitment. Personally I like Gripen, but I'd differ to experts.
There is also FCAS, but it seems less urgent, not scheduled to begin delivering until 2040, although maybe France and Germany will get the lead out due to recent changes.
Would love to see some buy in on Saabs next gen project
Why does Lemmy have such a love for Saab fighter jets? Gripen is a lovely looking jet, but the Typhoon is a lot more capable.
But does the Eurofighter come in a flat pack with an allen key and a booklet that vaguely indicates how to assemble it?
I'm not privy to high level procurement stuff like this, but unless every part is manufacturable in country all drawings/plans/source code/test data etc available and modifiable is there a significant advantage?
Sorry but my source for procurement doesn't have that level of detail for the Gripen. It may be classified.
That's less than the total incurred costs of Ford's decision to break the contract with The Beer Store a year earlier than scheduled.
Why even pay the cancelation fee?
It's not like anything going on now is legitimate.
Exactly. Canada should just choose to ignore it. Just like the US is ignoring international deals theyβve signed with other countries. Thing is: Canada has honour and our actual signature means something when we sign agreements. I donβt think Canada will sink as low as the US.
I do not think so either but we really should.
Or promise to pay but never do, like Trump did for his campaign rally expenses.
When the creditor calls tell them Canada doesn't live here anymore and hang up like your room mate used to do for you in college.
America is currently at war with us, declared abruptly and out of nowhere. They just decided one day "we want to annex Canada!"
Even if Donald's presidency is short-lived and a new slightly saner and less stupid administration takes control, I don't think it's a good idea to be trusting the Americans any more.
We need to disentangle ourselves from any military dependence on such ridiculously unreliable "allies." I'm all for this.
I think everyone is thinking the same way. I think the probability of the US invading is low, but there is a probability.
Even if the US never uses their military against us, there's a very real chance they withhold parts for military equipment as leverage in a negotiation. They are already withholding military aid from Ukraine as leverage after all. That alone makes it imperative we end Canada's dependency on the US defense industry.
Even if Donald's presidency is short-lived and a new slightly saner and less stupid administration takes control
I know the hamburglar has got his sights on Trump but if he takes his shot during the next 4 years the US gets JD Vance. Vance will be a lot worse than Trump, I do not know how Musk or Teil will handle Vance.
Do you mean Thiel?
Vance may be much smarter than Trump (low bar) and have actual plans for evil, vs. doing awful things on a whim. But, JD Vance doesn't have Trump's cult of personality. Whoever comes after Trump will return to the same normal relationship that a president has with their party. With the modern GOP that means intense squabbling and infighting. I doubt a president Vance could get much if his evil plan passed, even if the GOP did still control all the branches of government.
You would imagine there would be a clause in the contract for exactly this scenario. If there's not, it's going to be a common one in contacts going forward...
I've been advocating joining GCAP, an effort by Japan, UK and Italy to make a 6th gen fighter. It isn't scheduled to deliver the final design until 2035 though, so we would still need a stopgap.
Still, it would send a pretty strong signal and also allow as a path to reinvigorate our domestic aerospace defence industry.
and also allow as a path to reinvigorate our domestic aerospace defence industry.
Avro Arrow centenary edition in 2059.
This looks like a good idea. We do have people in Lunenberg, NS that have experience with working with stealth materials which could be a significant contribution to that project.
Could we call it the Arrow? Though I'd also be cool with it being called Spitfire.
I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if the final platform had room for national partner tweaks. Probably could call ours the Arrow 2: Strange Brew or something.
Don't cancel. "Pause" it until further notice
βCanadaβs liability would be no greater than US$346.7 millionβ β the difference between what it had already contributed and what was remaining of the original US$551 million commitment.
Since the analysis was produced, the Liberal government has paid another US$33 million.
Considering that there are Canadian companies that have contracts related to the f35 and they would almost certainly be cancelled or not renewed, running down the clock isn't a terrible idea. The $300+m is already a sunk cost.
https://www.saab.com/markets/canada/gripen-for-canada/built-for-canada-by-canada
From another page:
"In addition, Canada will have full and exclusive control over Gripenβs secure data β a unique advantage of our offer. The Gripen Centre in Montreal will host all work on the fighter's mission system and Canadians will carry out this work. With the mission system, communications and technical data all hosted in Canada, Gripen exceeds all industrial, security and controlled goods requirements. With Gripen the Royal Canadian Air Force will have maximum control over sensitive data handling."
It's a no brainer, in a world of digital warfare, needing to rely on a foreign home base is a tremendous liability.
How are they the only ones offering that, that needs to be table stakes to even bid
Because we live in capitalist dictatorships masquerading as freedomβ’οΈ and democracyβ’οΈ
Is there a crowdfunding?
It's called taxes
And investment. 1/5 of my lifetime economies are now in European aerospace and military companies shares. Something I would have never thought I would do, as a fundamentally anti militaristic person. I don't even care if I don't get any economic benefits out of it.
Doug Ford spent much more on canceling various contracts on a whim. I say bail.
Fuck it. They're an intelligence hazard and that's cheap in government terms.