Canada’s F-35 Stealth Fighter Fake Out Just Won’t End

Forget the F-35: Could Canada Fly the JAS 39 Gripen?

Key Points and Summary – Ottawa is reviewing its $19B CAD F-35 purchase amid trade tensions and supply concerns, prompting speculation about swapping remaining jets for Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen. -The move would create a mixed fleet—doubling training pipelines, simulators, spares, and maintenance complexity—while risking NORAD interoperability with the U.S. -The F-35’s vast global fleet […] The post Forget the F-35: Could Canada Fly the JAS 39 Gripen…

Canada’s F-35 Stealth Fighter Fake Out Just Won’t End

Key Points and Summary – Canada is reconsidering its purchase of 88 F-35A jets amid trade tensions, even as 16 aircraft are already funded. Alternatives—Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen, and Dassault Rafale—offer credible air-policing, but each carries drawbacks: Typhoon lacks stealth and complicates NORAD integration; Gripen depends on a U.S. engine that Washington could withhold; Rafale faces scale and interoperability hurdles. Dassault Rafale…