446
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Summary

Canada is reconsidering its F-35 fighter jet purchase amid rising tensions with the Trump administration.

Defence Minister Bill Blair stated Canada is exploring alternatives to the $19-billion contract for 88 jets, suggesting Canada might accept the first 16 already paid for while sourcing remaining aircraft from European suppliers like Saab.

This follows Trump's tariff threats and comments about "annexing Canada by economic force."

The Swedish-built Saab Gripen, which finished second in the competition, offers assembly in Canada, thus avoiding dependence on U.S.-based maintenance.

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[-] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 109 points 4 months ago

Why would we want brickable planes from an aggressor?

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 41 points 4 months ago

This would be like the US buying MiGs during the cold war.

[-] mmddmm@lemm.ee 35 points 4 months ago

The Migs aren't always online, controlled by a cloud.

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago

It's still buying proprietary tech from an enemy. It's fucking stupid.

[-] shani66@ani.social 2 points 4 months ago

Frankly, i think buying military equipment is stupid from the outset. Buy the designs if you really gotta have a third party design, but a government should be the sole hand in all of its most important programs/functions. It's like private healthcare or private infrastructure, it's too important to leave in the hands of a bad economic system.

[-] BackYardIncendiary@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 4 months ago

They weren't even solid state!

[-] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 9 points 4 months ago

because they have AI!

[-] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 months ago

I feel like Canada has smart enough engineers to fix that issue.

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 24 points 4 months ago

It’s a part of the software, which is a classified black box only the US sees into.

[-] BevsDad@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 months ago

Didn't Israel get access to the code as part of their contract? Kinda wish we had asked for the same thing now...

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 4 points 4 months ago
[-] BevsDad@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago

Hmm, looks like it's still running the locked US codebase but they were allowed to install their own electronic addons to it.

[-] stardust@lemmy.ca 40 points 4 months ago
[-] j4k3@lemmy.world 32 points 4 months ago

It is insane that anyone buys F35's with DRM

[-] stardust@lemmy.ca 16 points 4 months ago

Need empress to get on this.

[-] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 34 points 4 months ago

Shouldn't even be up for consideration at this point. Buy jets from trustworthy people (like EU), and if you want total defense independence start building the framework to build Canadian jets for when these ones approach EoL.

[-] 7rokhym@lemmy.ca 24 points 4 months ago

Sane countries with coherent foreign policy release this type of messaging in advance of reversing a $70 billion dollar contract. The F35 deal is dead. The trillions of dollars worth of goodwill and brand damage Trump has done to the US is hard to fathom. He is like a category 5 hurricane crossing the US for 40 days and 40 nights. #UnitedStatesOfEmbarrassment

[-] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 months ago

Yeah. Agreed.

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 19 points 4 months ago

I read that it's trivially easy for the US to remotely disable those planes. Seems like a security concern to use them.

[-] Fredthefishlord 3 points 4 months ago

Yeah you read a lot of things. Doesn't mean they're true.

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 3 points 4 months ago

Correct. I did follow up today and read some more sources and it sounds like it's not quite as simple a story, but the dependence on the US military seems to be a significant issue. I found a better article with a more nuanced take here if you're interested in that sort of thing: https://theaviationist.com/2025/03/10/f-35-kill-switch-myth/

[-] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago

That alone should be reason enough to not buy it. I bet it's not even trivial to verify if that's the case which gives even more reason to not go ahead with the purchase.

[-] puppinstuff@lemmy.ca 13 points 4 months ago

Gripens! You love to see it.

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

I'd love to see if it wasn't "considers".

[-] notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago

Time to look into purchasing Swedish National Bonds, 'cause those Grippens will be grippin.

[-] Stealth_Bummer@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Maybe they can get in on BAE Systems Tempest and help to push things forward.

[-] Teknikal@eviltoast.org 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I'd try and join one of the two European projects for a sixth gen fighter the main ones being Bae (Tempest) or Dassault/Airbus (FCAS).

[-] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago

Can the US shut down the planes from afar? Why would Canada submit to this purchase if that is a factor?

this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
446 points (100.0% liked)

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