Saab’s belly dance has begun.

OUTREMONT – Number of words : 906 – Reading time : 4 minutes.

The Swedish manufacturer Saab has launched a promotional campaign for its "operetta-style" (farcical) fighter jet, the Gripen.

Joining Saab in this effort are IMP, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Magellan, from Mississauga, Ontario; and CAE, located in Saint-Laurent, Quebec.

Assembly would be entrusted to IMP, a company that has never before assembled military aircraft. Based in the Maritimes, the firm has been involved in modernization programs for the CH-149 Cormorant, CH-124 Sea King, and CH-146 Griffon (a militarized version of the Bell Model 412) helicopters, as well as for CT-114 Tutor training aircraft and CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft—the Canadian designation for the P-3 Orion.

As for Magellan Aerospace—already a supplier of structural and engine components for the F-35A—it would be awarded the contract to supply structural parts for the Gripen and its engine, the General Electric F414.

CAE, already selected as the supplier for the F-35A as part of Lockheed Martin’s bid in Canada, is now set to provide training and simulation equipment for the Gripen in Canada as well. CAE is hedging its bets by getting involved with everyone. It must be noted that the Canadian government has mandated the inclusion of this Quebec-based firm in all its aeronautical contracts—dating back to Canada’s purchase of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in the 1960s, and more recently for the CH-47F, P-8A, and F-35A programs. CAE could have shown the decency to refrain from attaching itself to Saab’s bid for the Gripen.

It is worth recalling that, for a long time, CAE has benefited from various U.S. military and civil programs and was able to acquire the American firm Reflectone, which granted it access to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts.

Such expressions of gratitude are not unique to CAE—a company which, despite its own claims, is not the world leader in simulation and aircrew training.

As for the argument regarding "mixed fleets" put forward by Mélanie Joly—Canada’s Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec—it is utterly ridiculous and far-fetched. In fact, her statements on the matter are untruthful.

Countries that are F-35 customers—such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Australia, the Czech Republic, Singapore, and Romania—already field, or will exclusively field, F-35A aircraft.

The United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Israel—not to mention the United States, with its Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps—all operate other types of combat aircraft alongside their F-35s; however, these air forces are significantly larger than the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Gripen, much like the Rafale or the Typhoon, is in no way capable of conducting the kinds of operations that the F-35s of the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the Israeli Air Force (Heyl Ha Avir) have carried out over Iran. Imagine engaging in military operations against Russian or Chinese aircraft using Gripens—it would be sheer madness.

Canada needs the F-35A to do its part in the face of these threats.

Washington has shown a great deal of patience with Ottawa under the Liberal government.

Under the administration of Conservative Stephen Harper, Canada’s acquisitions of Boeing C-17A Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft, Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft, and Boeing CH-47F Chinook medium-lift transport helicopters proceeded smoothly, staying within both schedule and budget. It is unfortunate that the final contract for the acquisition of the F-35A was not signed by the Harper government.

The arrival of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada at the helm of the country marked a regrettable shift. During the election campaign, Liberal candidate Justin Trudeau vowed that Canada would not acquire F-35s. Under his leadership, orders were placed—most unfortunately—for Airbus C295 Kingfisher search-and-rescue aircraft, followed by Airbus CC-330 Husky aerial refuelers (the Canadian designation for the A330 MRTT). There was significant dithering regarding the signing of the contract to acquire the 88 F-35A jets necessary for Canada’s security and its commitments to NORAD.

Under Justin Trudeau’s successor, Mark Carney, the Saab Gripen was introduced as a candidate to replace the McDonnell Douglas F-18C/D Hornet. Furthermore, the Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft—which possesses limited capabilities compared to the industry-standard Boeing E-7A Wedgetail (the worthy successor to the Boeing E-3D Sentry)—was chosen, to the distinct detriment of the American option. Most recently, the acquisition of sixteen Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters has been suspended.

Saab, Carney, Joly, and the proponents of the Gripen find it easy to spout nonsense, as neither the elected officials nor the journalists have any real knowledge of the subject.

The Bloc Québécois and the Parti Québécois should, for their part, advocate for the F-35, given the significant economic benefits it offers—benefiting companies such as Héroux-Devtek, CAE, L3Com MAS, and CMC Electronics.

Each F-35 contains $3 million worth of Canadian-made components, and the F-35 program involves a total of over 4,000 aircraft, 1,300 of which have already been delivered. By comparison, Saab has delivered only about 300 Gripens.

It is clearly in Canada’s best interest—militarily, economically, technologically, and politically—to acquire 88 F-35As rather than any Gripens.

At most, to replace the aging CT-114 Tutor aircraft used by the Snowbirds, Canada could acquire about a dozen Boeing T-7A Red Hawks. In any case, Canada will eventually need to consider acquiring T-7As to train its F-35A pilots.

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