Canadian CF-18 fleet unable to meet NORAD and NATO commitments

The Office of the Auditor General in Canada has released a report that the Canadian CF-18 fleet is unable to meet their commitments for NORAD and NATO missions, due to a lack of maintenance personnel, and pilots. It's further exacerbated by the fact that some of their aircraft are 20 years past their original planned replacement date, and many haven't received a major upgrade since 2008.

Currently 8% of unit level maintenance slots are unfilled, and 14% are filled by people not fully trained. Maintenance hours have increased to 24 hours of maintenance for every hour flown. Meanwhile, between 2016 and 2018, 40 pilots left the RCAF, with only 30 replacing them. An additional 17 have stated they plan to leave or have left.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

I heard a good piece on the CBC about this today.
A spokesman for the CF was saying that they lack pilots and techs because of the dated equipment.
Why go risk their life and take a huge decrease in pay to fly sub-par aircraft.
When they can fly for a private company, make double the cash and fly newer aircraft.
It went on to say a lot more but from what I understood the major obstacle was the issue above.

Sounds like Canada needs to invest in hiring a foreign military with its own everything.

Just give the US your military budget and disband your armed forces Canada. Then let them operate under contract to do what your military was supposed to do.

Problem solved. Integrate native Canadian military personnel with former rank into a defense force. Done.

a reply to: Macenroe82

It's only gonna get worse. The F-18s they bought from Australia all required a SLEP before they can be put into service. They're as old or even older than the current aircraft.

a reply to: tadaman

That would somehow seem like giving up our sovereignty, I doubt anyone wants U.S. law enforcement, or U'S. military here.

But damn, I never knew it was this bad.

a reply to: tadaman

orrrrrrr

spend tons of cash to upgrade, or get a discount for whatever Canada can offer the US. Oil? LP? i don't know.

Canada will have to do something if they want to be seen as a creditable air force, not like they really need one as i'm sure we would help canada in the event of an invasion(LOL) and when is the last time someone attacked Canada?

an attack on Canada would be seen as a direct threat to America and therefore would incur the full wrath of the US, i think Canada is good.

a reply to: tadaman

Ill let the Prime Minister know.
Thank you.

You can double check this but a few days ago I heard that Germany out of 128 euro fighter aircraft only had 10 mission able birds. To further add insult to their promised 82 aircraft availability for a crisis Germany only has enough missiles for a weapons load out of 4 euro fighters. I kinda think that sucks so it is not just Canada who is facing a major screw up...

I will also check to see if I can find a source. It seems like some governments the world over with a (false) sense of security have gone out of their way to neglect that which can not be neglected ! Found one source.... youtu.be...

a reply to: 727Sky

NATO countries have become complacent, they KNOW the US will be there in the event of SHTF as per treaty.

That's why we are the only real superpower on earth, we have no choice.

a reply to: 727Sky

Germany has been slowly allowing their military capability to erode away for years. The belief has long been that we'd be there to defend them so they could get away with spending a fraction of what they needed to on defense.

originally posted by: tadaman
Sounds like Canada needs to invest in hiring a foreign military with its own everything.

Just give the US your military budget and disband your armed forces Canada. Then let them operate under contract to do what your military was supposed to do.

Problem solved. Integrate native Canadian military personnel with former rank into a defense force. Done.

Let's wait and see how big our budget gets through the taxation of marijuana and if and when that Western pipeline can ever get the oil moving across to Asia. Then we will have better buying power, I hope.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Canada leaches off the massive USA defense forces. Congrats!

originally posted by: jjkenobi
a reply to: Zaphod58

Canada leaches off the massive USA defense forces. Congrats!

It is not fair to compare military resources between our two countries as Canada's budget can never compare to the U.S. budget for military spending.

21 US$/BN Canada vs. 682 US$/BN U.S.

a reply to: jjkenobi

They should be ashamed of themselves. They spend about as much as Turkey on defense and yet in a head to head with Turkey they'd be wiped out in less than a week. If that.

originally posted by: Fools
a reply to: jjkenobi

They should be ashamed of themselves. They spend about as much as Turkey on defense and yet in a head to head with Turkey they'd be wiped out in less than a week. If that.

You can't spend what you don't have.

a reply to: InTheLight

This was brought about almost entirely by the F-35 debacle. If they had stayed with their original plan, they would have seen them at Luke by last year or the year before and pilots would be training on them now.

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: Fools
a reply to: jjkenobi

They should be ashamed of themselves. They spend about as much as Turkey on defense and yet in a head to head with Turkey they'd be wiped out in less than a week. If that.

You can't spend what you don't have.

You misunderstand. Actually Canada spends a bit more than Turkey and has nothing to show for it. Turkey has better everything than Canada and spends less. What are your politicians doing with the money would be a better question.

Keep in mind, Turkey is a NATO member and as such has access to all modern western equipment. Including the F-35. So how can Turkey have a larger, better trained, and better equipped army/navy/airforce than Canada? How does that happen?

originally posted by: Fools

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: Fools
a reply to: jjkenobi

They should be ashamed of themselves. They spend about as much as Turkey on defense and yet in a head to head with Turkey they'd be wiped out in less than a week. If that.

You can't spend what you don't have.

You misunderstand. Actually Canada spends a bit more than Turkey and has nothing to show for it. Turkey has better everything than Canada and spends less. What are your politicians doing with the money would be a better question.

Keep in mind, Turkey is a NATO member and as such has access to all modern western equipment. Including the F-35. So how can Turkey have a larger, better trained, and better equipped army/navy/airforce than Canada? How does that happen?

We could, alternatively, ask your politicians anther question, why spend so much on military spending than all other countries?

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: InTheLight

This was brought about almost entirely by the F-35 debacle. If they had stayed with their original plan, they would have seen them at Luke by last year or the year before and pilots would be training on them now.

I read where they are working on another program to entice pilots and techs, so they aren't giving up trying to move this forward.

a reply to: Zaphod58

ha, beat ya.


but really, is it shocking with who is leading my beloved homeland(Germany)? no, not really.

i feel the need to put some dark humor in, but i wont.