Canada to supply decommissioned fighter aircraft to Ukraine

[CD]

Fascinating...

Canada to supply decommissioned fighter aircraft to Ukraine

16.07.2014 | Source: Pravda.Ru

The Ukrainian combat aviation received reinforcements from Canada. The Canadian government proposes to deliver nearly 20 combat aircraft CF-18A to the Ukrainian military.

The information appeared on social networks. Russian English-language television channel Russia Today reported the same.

These 20 aircraft can be delivered to the Ukrainian side for free, as they had been written off from service at the Air Forces of Canada in connection with the purchase of new aircraft. In addition, Canada offers to send a dozen experts to Ukraine to train Ukrainian pilots and perform aircraft maintenance, the Press of Ukraine reports.

McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet is a multirole fighter of the Royal Canadian Air Force, developed on the basis of US fighter bomber F/A-18 Hornet. The plane was produced by McDonnell Douglas in 1982-88 years; 138 aircraft had been produced in total. The aircraft had taken part in combat operations during the Gulf War, the bombing of Yugoslavia and the international military operation in Libya.

The Canadian Air Force had lost the total of 18 CF-18 Hornet during operation, although there were no combat losses incurred.

[fish4life]

So we have written off these F-18's yet we have no new airplanes of our own yet? Way to keep the military woefully under supplied Canada.

[Gilles Hudicourt]

I thought all these airframes were out of time or out of cycles ? Or is it just that they have not received the modernization upgrades but still have airframe time and cycles left into them ? Wasn't there something about Centre Barrel Replacement ? Yet only about half of Canada's 80 upgraded CF-18 had that Centre Barrel Replacement done.

So what will the Ukrainians be able to do with those CF-18s? (if this CF-18 to Ukraine info is even true ?) Drop a reduced payload of old gravity bombs while flying flight paths of no more than 2G?

[Pop n Fresh]

This is bologna sandwich! Where's my free airplane? This country's gone down the tubes. The Ukraine never gave us anything cool like one of those Antonov cargo planes or a MiG-29.

[frozen solid]

I was hoping to hear it was "Freedom Fighters" from CFB Mountain View.

[azimuthaviation]

I for one fully support this. Canada should be giving, from our stocks, the weapons they need to protect all the other Canadian assets Harper gave away since he came to power. Our foreign policy, national dignity, our utility distributors, mines and oil fields, the telephone grid... Cant leave these assets unguarded.

[Meecka]

I for one fully support this. Canada should be giving, from our stocks, the weapons they need to protect all the other Canadian assets Harper gave away since he came to power. Our foreign policy, national dignity, our utility distributors, mines and oil fields, the telephone grid... Cant leave these assets unguarded.

So you figure by giving a foreign military, fighters from "our stocks", we're protecting OUR assets?

[B208]

No Meecka, azi is just being azi, (which is to say somewhat dogmatic).

Gilles,
The CF-188s at Mountain View have cycles and hours left, we just don't have enough pilots to fly them.

(Sorry about the above comment, just couldn't resist yanking G's chain).

The aircraft in question have life left in the airframes, they were mothballed as a cost cutting measure after the CF pull out of Europe. The avionics on them were not upgraded. Max would be better able to answer questions about how useful they would be against the Russians.

[Strobes]

Token gift to a nation that does not deserve our help. We shouldn't be meddling into the affairs of others, like the US did for the past 60 years. Especially one whose new leaders have promised annihilation and suggested that the use of nuclear weapons against its own citizens would be acceptable. It'll just decrease our stature on the world stage.

[AuxBatOn]

We are not giving Hornets to anybody....

[Gilles Hudicourt]

We are not giving Hornets to anybody....

Considering the original source of the news (Pravda Radio quoting social media) you are probably correct. But there is another possibility.

Russian intelligence has recently leaked embarrasing phone conversations and email exchanges over Ukraine and used Social media for the leaks. This may be a secret deal Canada was working on with Ukraine and that the Russians, not wanting to reveal their intelligence sources, leaked in this manner. Just a possibility.........

[AuxBatOn]

Giving military aircraft we bought from an ally to a third party is a LOT more complicated than this... First, the country that sold them to you need to agree.

[Gilles Hudicourt]

Giving military aircraft we bought from an ally to a third party is a LOT more complicated than this... First, the country that sold them to you need to agree.

Indeed. How hard that would be.

Stephen : "Hey Barack, what would you say if we gave some of those old F-18s you guys sold us, those with 1970s technology only, to Ukraine, so they can use them to kick some Russian ass ? The Ukrainians are short of old fighters since they had mothballed most of their cheaper Mig-29s in an Air base in Crimea and lost them to the Russians"

Barack : "I don't know Stephen, that may be a hot political potato for me, you know how those neocons breathe down my neck. Let me check with my neocon political advisors...... oh! Hold on, I've got Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, George Bush Jr and Hilary Clinton on a party line......... How many F-18s you say you can spare Stephen ? It seems we can even help you refurbish them and supply you with vintage arms to go along with them......"

[AuxBatOn]

Sure, it's that simple...

[CpnCrunch]

Token gift to a nation that does not deserve our help. We shouldn't be meddling into the affairs of others, like the US did for the past 60 years. Especially one whose new leaders have promised annihilation and suggested that the use of nuclear weapons against its own citizens would be acceptable. It'll just decrease our stature on the world stage.

Actually, it is Russia who have said they might use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. No Ukranian politician has said that (there was a news story that Tymoshenko said that, but it appears to have been a faked).

[Broken Slinky]

How about an AVCanada group CF-18 purchase? I'll throw $500 in the pot.

[B208]

Sure, it's that simple...

Now, now, Aux. We all know from previous threads that Gilles is a SME on all matters RCAF.......