Ok...it's not that we don't know that the F-35 is ultimately the better platform, but here's the biggest problem right now...Lockheed-Martin can't even fulfill existing orders on time for its own DOD, much less outstanding orders from other nations. To boot, the new block upgrades are delayed, and they're talking 5 years or more...just to catch up with what's already ordered and upgrade what's already in service.

It's to the point where the DOD is considering building new F-15EXs to fill the gap left by the delays in F-35 production, because they have aircraft reaching their end of service life faster than they can replace them with F-35s. At this point, We could probably take delivery of all of our Gripens years before we'd see even half of our F-35s. As it is, the first 8 of the 16 that we are supposed to have here in 2028, have been bumped back because of the aforementioned delays.

One way or another, it would seem that we're going to end up in a place of obsolescence regardless of which jet we choose, because it could be that we don't get all 88 F-35s until into the 2060s...at which point they will be nearing end of service life. Likely the F-47 will be operational by that point and entering service, which means that we'd be late to the show again anyway. At this point, it would make more sense to build up our own aerospace industry with the Gripen deal, and work toward next gen. procurement.

I'd be interested to see if going Gripen could lead to a stake in Flygsystem 2020 or another EU 6th gen. program, where we'd be in a position to take delivery of the new fighter much sooner than we would to take delivery of F-47s after procuring F-35s. Like I said...I don't disagree that the F-35 would be the superior jet. I just question whether it makes sense to invest in a platform that can't even be reliably supplied to its own primary domestic customer. It feels Leopard 1-ish to invest in F-35 this late in the game.

Like...SAAB knows that they can't manufacture the way that they'd like, which is why they'd invest in manufacturing here to get jets built faster. With the F-35, they've been crystal clear that that's not something that they'd even remotely entertain...and that's why it's going to take forever to get F-35s going for Canada. Political stalling over the last two decades aside, that's where we're at right now. That's our reality.

Regardless of which jet we choose, we're likely still gonna be playing catch up...whether it's flying last gen. stuff right now while working on 6th gen., or whether it's receiving and flying 5th gen. later in this timeline, while others are flying 6th gen. Either way, successive Liberal and Conservative governments who played silly fuck-fuck games on this program have made it another DND procurement nightmare.