this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked for a review of Canada’s plan to purchase a fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

The deal with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government is for 88 planes at a cost of about US$85 million each.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Carney has asked Blair to look into whether the F-35 contract is the best investment for Canada, or if there are better options.

β€œWe need to do our homework given the changing environment, and make sure that the contract in its current form is in the best interests of Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces,” Blair’s press secretary Laurent de Casanove said.

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[–] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 21 points 5 hours ago

Can I interest you in a Eurofighter Typhoon?

[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 12 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Canada could do the funniest thing rn by buying J-35s at half the price.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

It would be funny, but damn I would not want to buy military equipment from china

[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

China is Canada's second biggest trade partner, unless they're planning to follow America to war with China, what's the problem? Especially because it's for a military that was designed for the singular purpose of defending itself from an American invasion over the last 70 years.

[–] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 10 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

It always seemed strange that Canada would agree (how much arm twisting?) to buy a plane that won't work well in our Arctic. We are committed to buying 16 jets but it would probably be better to buy the rest elsewhere or put our money into homegrown solutions. Maybe drones or other machines.

[–] Barbarian@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 hours ago

Excuse me sir, may I interest you in Gripen? Cold weather tested, fascist free, and oh so stylish. Book your test flight today!

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe we should be looking at what we need for city close quarters defenses and guerilla fighting.

[–] LostWon@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

If they do plan on invading, it will probably involve them coming from the North as well, and not just the South-- especially if they were to occupy Greenland first.

[–] brax@sh.itjust.works 31 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Seems stupid to buy defense resources from a country that could become hostile. Do any European companies have anything to offer? I get that GOS and a lot of resources are still probably going to come from the USA but right now, the less the better.

[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 21 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

It also seems stupid to keep importing on a mass scale the culture, news, entertainment, media, and media platforms of a country that wants to invade Canada. Yet here we are.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 4 points 3 hours ago

I mean to be fair this hostility is being perpetrated by one man and just in the past 2 months. Zero of those things would change in that short amount of time.

[–] fourish@lemmy.world 10 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I would be thrilled if all American social media was blocked 100%. Sweep the trolls back into their caves.

[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 hours ago

I’d love that too.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)
[–] slingstone@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

I read somewhere they operate with a licensed American engine, and that some European nations are trying to replace it with a non-American one.... Yeah, it's a development of an F-18 engine.

[–] Punchshark@lemmy.ca 66 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Fuck yeah! Canada will vote with its dollar!

[–] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 43 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Heck yeah. Go Carney.

With love from Portugal. πŸ‡΅πŸ‡ΉπŸ€πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

[–] Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 12 points 7 hours ago

Welcome to the carnival!

or

CARNAGE!

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 11 points 5 hours ago

Messing with the military industrial complex is not the smartest move for Trump. All that will do is turn the military against him.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 28 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

There was the "kill switch" rumour recently that trump (any president) can remotely disable any/all f35s they wanted to

It's probably not true, but the truth is just as disasterous for foreign buyers.

A shutdown of parts out of US does essentially the same and is much easier to do on a whim and withhold the solution in negotiations.

People weren't just buying US because "we're the best" it's because we could be relied on for support, because no one fucksnwith the US military industrial complex

trump is tho, and that's a hell of a lot more dangerous for a politician than pissing off day traders

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 18 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

They require maintenance in the US. How well would that work if the US was invading us?

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 14 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

...

Yes, that is the point I am making, and the argument your government is making for canceling the contract.

If trump were to cut off logistical support for that or any other whim, they would have to be mothballed.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 10 points 6 hours ago

The SAAB would be much better as they allow local parts manufacture and local maintenance.

[–] Whorehoarder@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 6 hours ago

They don't give any access to the stealth tech either, as far as I understand

[–] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 18 points 7 hours ago

He's keeping up decorum but yeah these jets are done. You can't buy military equipment from an enemy and the jets would have to be serviced in the USA over their lifetime.

[–] Tm12@lemmy.ca 26 points 8 hours ago

Something we can train on and maintain within our borders please.

[–] nao@sh.itjust.works 17 points 7 hours ago

maybe don't rely on fighter jets than can possibly be disabled remotely by someone talking about invading you

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 10 points 7 hours ago

Lockheed Martin β€” ”We specialize in destroying the lives of brown people, come fly with us”

They can pay me in maple syrup.

[–] aviationeast@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

Gonna need a tariff...

[–] kbal@fedia.io 0 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

For the $70 billion it would apparently cost in total to have these super fancy fighter jets, they could instead build a million new low-cost housing units and still have some money left over to work on inventing innovative air defence systems that aren't so expensive..

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 14 points 6 hours ago

6 months ago I would have agreed with you. Unfortunately now we have to focus on saving Canada.