Canadian F 35 - The first Norwegian Army Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, known as the AM-1 Joint Strike Jet Fighter, is unveiled during the rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin's manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, TX, Tuesday, September 22, 2015. (Laura Buckman/AFP/Getty Images)
As the federal government embarks on a much-delayed and criticized search to find a replacement for its aging fleet of CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, Norway's F-35 stealth fighter acquisition saga is providing Canada with a valuable lesson.
Canadian F 35
The search for a replacement for the CF-18 gained renewed urgency Tuesday after a grim report from Canada's auditor general criticized the Liberal government's handling of the file, which has serious implications for Ottawa's ability to meet NATO and NORAD commitments.
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Just like Ottawa, Oslo was one of the first NATO countries to show interest in the new stealth multirole fighter developed by the American defense giant Lockheed Martin.
In June 2009, the Storting decided that the F-35A Lightning II should replace the current fleet of F-16 fighters. Unlike Ottawa, despite strong internal opposition, Oslo saw things through.
Norwegian F-16s escort a Jet Falcon DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft during an Air Power Capability Demonstration of NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018 in Byneset near Trondheim, Norway on October 30, 2018. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)
Norwegian authorities hoped to show off their newest and most expensive defense acquisition in the country's history in a massive display of NATO military might during the official launch of the Trident Juncture 2018 exercise on 30 October.
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But much to the dismay of dozens of journalists, NATO officials and dignitaries who had gathered at the Trondheimsfjord in central Norway to watch the display of land, sea and air power, the Norwegian F-35s never appeared.
Lt.-Col. Stale Nymoen, commander of the Air Force's 332 squadron and one of the first Norwegian pilots to fly the F-35, said strong crosswinds at Ørland Air Base forced officials to cancel the planned flyover.
The cancellation of the flyover on an otherwise perfect fall day had nothing to do with the jet's capacity, Nymoen said.
- From my perspective, it is one of the best fighter planes out there, Nymoen told a room full of journalists during a briefing at Ørland air station in central Norway earlier this month.
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But it took even experienced pilots like him years to learn to fly the new fighters and, just as importantly, unlearn old habits, Nymoen said.
The first three F-35 fighter jets ordered by the Norwegian Air Force arrive at Orland Air Base in central Norway on Friday 3 November 2017. (Ned Alley/NTB scanpix via AP)
Norway received its first four F-35s in January 2017. But all were stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, where Norwegian, American and Italian pilots trained on the new aircraft.
It was not until November 2017 that the stealth fighters actually entered service in Norway, at Ørland Air Base, which is undergoing a massive infrastructure upgrade to maintain the new aircraft.
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Operating and flying them in Norway with the harsh North Atlantic and Arctic climate is a completely new experience, said Nymoen.
- What is different about Luke when we train to operate the aircraft here are temperatures, winter, icy and slippery runways, wind, said Nymoen. "These are conditions that we don't necessarily train for when we train in the US."
- We have to learn to crawl before we can walk, and we have to learn to walk before we can run, said Nymoen.
The first squadron of the f-35s is expected to reach initial operational capacity in 2019 and full operational capacity only in 2025, eight years after the aircraft were delivered to Norway.
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This timeline would also apply to Canada if Lockheed Martin emerged as the winner of the competition to buy 98 advanced aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force announced by the Liberal government last December.
The list of eligible suppliers identified by the federal government also includes France's Dassault Aviation, Sweden's SAAB, Britain's Airbus Defense and Space, and US defense and aerospace giant Boeing.
If the federal government manages to stick to its schedule, a contract award is expected in 2022 and the first replacement aircraft delivered in 2025.
This means the current fleet of Canadian CF-18s and the 18 additional used Australian F-18s the federal government is buying as a stopgap measure will have to operate until at least 2030, experts say.
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For reasons beyond our control, and indefinitely, our comments section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions. For those trying to predict the outcome of Canada's future fighter jet competition, two announcements in the weeks leading up to Christmas appear to tip the field in favor of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
The first was a story leaked over the US Thanksgiving weekend in late November that the Canadian government had selected two bidders to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) fleet of aging CF-18 Hornets, and Boeing F/A - 18 The E/F Block III Super Hornet would not be among them.
Boeing has pulled out of Canada's future fighter jet competition, leaving Saab and Lockheed Martin as the remaining contenders. While the F-35A Lightning III may win competitions around the world, and is preferred among RCAF fighter pilots, it is definitely not a shoo-in to replace the CF-18. USAF/Staff Sgt. Madelyn Brown's photo
This would later be confirmed by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in a statement claiming that, after a rigorous assessment of the proposals for capability, cost and economic benefits, including financial impact, only the F-35 and Saab Gripen E have become again entitled to. Pending further analysis, negotiations with the "top-ranking bidder" or a competitive dialogue "in which the two remaining bidders will be given the opportunity to improve their proposals" will begin shortly.
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The second came a few weeks later, on December 9, when the Finnish government announced the selection of the F-35 for its HX fighter program to replace a fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. Like Canada, the competition included the Boeing Super Hornet, Saab Gripen E, Dassault Rafale and Airbus Eurofighter Typhoon.
But while Lockheed Martin executives clink celebratory glasses of champagne over a possible Canadian competition win, Billie Flynn has a warning.
"If I were at Lockheed Martin, I'd be very humble about what might happen from this point forward. I wouldn't take it as, 'Hey, we're a shoo-in,'" he said.
For most of the past decade, Flynn served as the senior test pilot for the F-35 program and the face and voice of its global marketing campaign; his slim frame, dressed in a flight suit, a ubiquitous figure at trade shows, air shows and media events.
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Like many, Flynn was "surprised" when he received a message from a former squadron mate while enjoying American Thanksgiving dinner with his family. He has long viewed the Super Hornet as the F-35's main competitor, and he has been part of a vigorous campaign challenging its capabilities to meet Canada's future fighter jet requirements. Now the Block III Super Hornet was out. "It blew up my evening," he admitted.
Although he resigned from Lockheed Martin in 2020 to be with his family during a pandemic that limited international travel, Flynn continued to advocate for the F-35 online, touting its strengths over the Super Hornet in blog posts and podcasts. During a career that included supporting the Typhoon, F-16 "Viper" and F-35 global campaigns, he sat through many debriefs on how to assess fighter capability. Why the F/A-18 was eliminated from the Canadian competition is a mystery. "I can't imagine how Boeing would not comply if they are indicted," he acknowledged.
The Canadian government has yet to explain why the Super Hornet was disqualified, at least not publicly. In an email
, a spokesman for the PSPC reiterated that all proposals are subject to the same evaluation criteria, "overseen by an independent fairness monitor. Due to the confidential aspect of the information provided by the bidders during the procurement process, we cannot provide any further information."
Edwards Afb Squadron Tests Missile For European Ally's F 35 > Hill Air Force Base > Article Display
A Boeing spokesperson confirmed "that a meeting took place [with the government]. We do not comment on the proceedings/outcome of that meeting and will refer the Canadian government for further details."
While the F-35 may be among the final two candidates, Flynn's caution for humility is based on one simple fact: Despite a decade of marketing, the F-35 sales pitch has not resonated with the Canadian public or politicians. More clearly, he believes that Lockheed Martin was wrong.
It's not lost on Flynn that whatever misgivings he may have about the F/A-18 Super Hornet as Canada's future fighter, the legacy of the McDonell Douglas CF-18 A/B Hornet has made him the pilot he is today.
Raised in an RCAF family and educated at the Royal Military College, Flynn was the first "pipeliner" selected from the training system to fly the CF-18 when it entered service in 1982, replacing McDonell's fleet
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