It's an impressive little bird, the SAAB Gripen. Purchase price and operating costs put it around half the outlay of the higher priced competitors such as Lockheed's F-35 stealth light bomber. It costs less to buy, it costs less to operate and it is supposedly far more reliable than the pricier options.
But way, there's more. SAAB is willing to sweeten the deal, offering to build RCAF Gripens right here in Canada. It's no idle boast. SAAB has a history of snagging international orders with 'home country' construction.
SAAB, by the way, has a history of building fine jet fighters including the legendary Viggen and Draken jets.
That's all fine and good, Mound, but do they host booze, drug and hooker fueled orgies like SNC Lavalin allegedly did? Do they splash out for multi-million dollar yachts to get the contract? How are they with manila envelopes stuffed with unmarked, non-sequential bills? In other words, are they worthy of a non-prosecution agreement?
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ReplyDeleteI've not heard those sorts of thing about SAAB over the years, Cap. As a believer in Canadian technology and aerospace going back as far, yes, as the CF-105 Arrow, I've always been envious of a nation less than a third our size being able to maintain a leading edge aviation industry with SAAB and Volvo flygmotor (engines) while we buy other countries' stuff.
https://sites.tufts.edu/corruptarmsdeals/tag/saab/
ReplyDelete.. thanks.. I was wondering when OUR politicians & military might get around to alternatives to the F-35 debacle. Though single engine.. it has its design and production origins in a northern nation, Sweden.. with somewhat similar geographic characteristics.. though on a tiny scale compared to Canada. Its important (and confusing) to consider the growing embedded nature though.. of Canada's involvement with American military adventurism and corruption. Canada cannot be allowed to cozy up in bed with American military & geopolitical 'goals' or schemes - the American military currently has boots on the ground and military hardware or assets scattered into approx 72 foreign countries - and couple that train wreck of colonialism and conceit.. with the obvious fact that neither Harper or Trudeau was capable of 'navigating' the 'rent to buy' 5-6 hundred million $ seagoing naval tender to deliver fresh onions, clean underwear or fuel etc to OUR Canadian 'Navy' (and we are not sure if our submarine 'fleet' is afloat or not.. its a minute to minute thing eh !)
ReplyDeletePurchasing the F18s while knowing this? A saab-story for CDNs.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's a great little fighter if you're a third-world country and can't afford the F-35, but in practice it's not nearly that simple. The BVR rating of the Saab is 84, while the F-35 is, what, 91 or so? No contest, sorry. If you want to fly your fancy new fighters at air shows and stuff, fine...if you anticipate actual combat against an opponent like China, Russia or any of the NATO nations, forget it.
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