Japan Buys 42 F35s While Canada, 26 Times its Geographic Size, Plans to Buy 65. Does that Make Sense?

Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino has heralded Japan’s decision to purchase the F-35 as not only good for Canada but further evidence the Conservative government made the right decision in purchasing 65 Joint Strike Fighters.

Japan announced in December that is will buy 42 of the aircraft.

“All reasonable people agree that our brave men and women need aircraft to protect our sovereignty,” Fantino said in a statement, echoing the talking points he repeatedly delivers in the Commons. “We remain fully committed to delivering our Canadian Forces the best aircraft with the best benefits for Canadian workers at the best price for Canadian taxpayers.”

But the Japanese purchase raises a number of issues that opposition MPs might plan to question Fantino on when the House of Commons returns.

1) Japan’s Defense Ministry said Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., IHI Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will participate in the production of the aircraft. MHI will produce fuselages, IHI will work on engines and Mitsubishi Electric will partially produce and assemble electronic devices. The Japanese companies are expected to be involved in 40 percent of the F-35 jet’s production.

The U.S. government has proposed that Japan also produce the main wings, as well as vertical and horizontal stabilizers in addition to assembling engines.

This raises an issue for Fantino: Canada has pumped in millions of dollars for development of the F-35 and under the existing MOU its aerospace industry is guaranteed NO work on the project – all work will have to be bid on and won.

Some opposition party researchers are asking why Japan, with a smaller order, has been able to arrange for guaranteed work on its aircraft for its domestic industry?

2) Japan, an island nation, has determined it needs 42 aircraft to meet its defence needs.

So how come Canada, the second largest nation in the world in terms of size, only believes it needs 65? (DND’s response is that 65 is the number it determined that was needed to fulfill all its responsibilities and that the F35 is so sophisticated it can do the job of 80 CF-18s).

Japan is 144,689 sq. miles. Canada’s size is 3,854,085 square miles

Readers can feel free to correct me but by my math, Canada is 26 times larger than Japan, at least in a geographic sense. Some might suggest that more square miles and coastline to cover would require more aircraft.

Original Article
Source: Ottawa Citizen