Quote:
Originally Posted by Wharn
I've said this before, I am a huge fan of the Saab JAS-39 Gripen. It may be a bit of an older design, but it's tried and true. Agile and quick, it's also reliable and easy to maintain, practically the polar opposite of the F-35. If it were up to me, I'd be heading to the Swedes. Not just because they've always been masters at marrying reliability and functionality, but they're also a small democracy without any ulterior motives, and they're probably more willing to provide us with technical data (for maintenance purposes) than our American or Russian friends are.
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totally agree....this government would never stray from being an american lap dog, but the forward thinking action would be to engage SAAB as a joint venture development of the next generation Gripen.
a SAAB/Bombardier tandem would be a great economic driver.....bring the technology to canada as a true partnership, instead of just buying it off the shelf from the americans....it would also send a message to the world that we not a military extension of the US, aligning ourselves with more neutral armed forces.
the swedes have similar military needs...remote bases, harsh climates, smaller budgets...it could be a perfect match to get a plane tailored to our needs with the economic spin off of it being a 'canadian' design....it could be the catalyst for an entire industry.
always loved the viggen.....