this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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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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[–] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 21 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

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 12 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

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 5 points 6 hours ago

Yeah. Agreed.

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 12 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 1 points 14 minutes 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.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 hours ago

They can't shut them off. They can do something like MS is doing with EOLing Windows 10 tho. No more security updates, which in this case means they'd over time become more vulnerable to adversary ECM jamming.

They could cut off a country from getting parts needed to keep the planes flying which is actually more significant. It wouldn't be easy, but a country could replace the computer systems in a jet. A military has it's own technicians maintain their equipment and they would understand which signals are needed from the cockpit to make the plane work.

The Lockheed Martin could shut down the planes thing is FUD and isn't convincing anyone in the know. The potential for cutting a country off from resupply is real, and the US has done that to Ukraine, a country in the middle of a war.

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

[–] cyd@lemmy.world 26 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Canada needs to redirect most of its defence spending to asymmetric warfare. You know, the same advice US consultants give to Taiwan to make a PRC occupation more expensive to contemplate. Forget about big ticket items meant to support the US in its overseas wars; start investing in mines, guerilla equipment, etc.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 8 points 7 hours ago

Watch us go from "you can't own scary black rifle" to "here's your annual home armory allotment of hand grenades".

[–] BackYardIncendiary@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 10 hours ago

Can we add non-nuclear EMP weapons? Asking for a friend.

[–] notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world 8 points 9 hours ago

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

[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 45 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Not continuing to buy aircraft from a country whose current leader threatens with hostile action seems only 100% reasonable.

I would advise them to keep the ones they have, though - given their current threat model, until the US president changes, they need a "red team" to practise against.

[–] LeninsOvaries@lemmy.cafe 6 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

They should send their pilots to Ukraine to practice until the war with America starts

Or Israel. The IDF might be too tough, though.

[–] Teknikal@eviltoast.org 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours 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).

[–] puppinstuff@lemmy.ca 11 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Gripens! You love to see it.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

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

[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 101 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Why would we want brickable planes from an aggressor?

[–] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 38 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] mmddmm@lemm.ee 34 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

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

[–] BackYardIncendiary@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 10 hours ago

They weren't even solid state!

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] shani66@ani.social 1 points 9 minutes 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.

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 8 points 18 hours ago

because they have AI!

[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 5 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 21 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] BevsDad@lemmy.ca 2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

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 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] BevsDad@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 hours ago

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

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] stardust@lemmy.ca 38 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 28 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

It is insane that anyone buys F35's with DRM

[–] stardust@lemmy.ca 15 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Need empress to get on this.

[–] LeninsOvaries@lemmy.cafe 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

She's probably on Trump's side tbh

[–] shani66@ani.social 1 points 8 minutes ago

She's a lunatic, but if you pay her she'll still do it

[–] Stealth_Bummer@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

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