170 replies to this topic

[Sparky]

Caught 4 of the Snowbirds practising in Comox this morning.

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Snowbirds return for Comox Air Show

The May 18 event celebrates the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100 years of service as a distinct military element


https://www.timescol...ir-show-8604952

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 April 2024 - 11:12 AM.

[AllseeingEye]

Hard to believe we spent $40 million in avionics upgrades just to keep those creaky old T-33 kites flying. That of course is what happens when Canada persists in kicking the Defence portfolio/budget/equipment replacement programs down the road decade after decade.....after...............decade. Now of course we've waited so long to do so that the cost to replace those aircraft is going to be monstrous.

 

Given how desperate the army is for battlefield weapons capable of, well....anything in modern warfare, and how deficient the navy is, one wonders whether we'll have an acrobatic air team at all after the Tutors are finally, mercifully taken out behind the nearest shed and shot.

 

Remember thanks to the fact DoD has been woefully underfunded for close to 40 years that the other 900lb gorilla in the room is our spectacularly crapulent procurement system: when we finally pulled the trigger on the NSP for the new RCN and Coast Guard ships rougly a decade ago, the estimated original cost was about $26 billion dollars.

 

Today with a paltry four AOPS ships in the water - and remember they are classed as non-combatants, and sport a puny .25 Bushmaster chain gun as their primary armament - and exactly ZERO new replacements for the frigates anywhere in sight, the cost in 2023 for the entire ship replacement project was estimated to have ballooned to $84 billion and according to the federal Budget Office the *final* tab will be an eye watering $100 billion+++ dollars for a mere dozen or so surface ships that could have been essentially purchased basically COTS - at a fraction of that price.....

[Mike K.]

The replacement cost of equipment is never not going to be very high. Maybe we did the right thing by not buying aircraft in the interim, and just waiting until our fighter jets reached their end of life.

 

The new RCN Henry DeWolf-class boats are quite nice. I would have thought we'd need bigger ships, but maybe with modern technology bigger isn't necessarily better.

[AllseeingEye]

The replacement cost of equipment is never not going to be very high. Maybe we did the right thing by not buying aircraft in the interim, and just waiting until our fighter jets reached their end of life.

 

The new RCN Henry DeWolf-class boats are quite nice. I would have thought we'd need bigger ships, but maybe with modern technology bigger isn't necessarily better.

 

The existing figher (F-18's) jets were long ago dismissed by RCAF/DND brass as potential replacements due to the fact they are fighter aricraft and as such require a much longer runway than do the T-33's. That in itself discounts them as an option because it defeats the rationale behind the Snowbirds, i.e. they are "Canada's" aerial demonstration team, are a source of national pride, and therefore above all they need to be as accessible as possible to as many Canadians as possible - and that includes smaller communities that don't have airports with longer runways.

Edited by AllseeingEye, 20 April 2024 - 08:43 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ottawa looking at retiring some older military equipment — including the Snowbird jets

Defence Minister Bill Blair insists no decisions have been made

https://www.cbc.ca/n...orces-1.7266310

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 July 2024 - 12:02 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Nobody would complain if the retired the Snowbirds and replaced them with a 5-plane CF-18 show.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 July 2024 - 12:05 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

Nobody would complain if the retired the Snowbirds and replaced them with a 5-plane CF-18 show.

 

Been discussed before: the F-18 requires much longer runways than exist in smaller communities in Canada. As they are a symbol of the country and frequently perform in these smaller cities the Hornets are out as an option.....

[AllseeingEye]

Also while the avionics and electronic systems have seen frequent upgrades over the years fact is the airframes are 40+ years old.

[Mike K.]

Snowbirds are coming July 22nd for a “non aerobatic” performance above Victoria.

https://www.instagra...m/p/DLBCj5KOUBt

[Victoria Watcher]

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be making a pit stop over Victoria this summer, taking to the skies for a non-aerobatic display, the group announced Tuesday.

Between scheduled show dates in Vancouver, the Snowbirds will arrive in B.C.’s capital on July 22 – for an additional display that “brings the wow,” the team said.



https://cheknews.ca/...summer-1261642/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 June 2025 - 04:28 PM.