F-35
16 JUNE/JULY 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com
cause it had computers," he recalls. "It
was powered by two Commodore 64
computers, and we thought it was a vid-
eo game airplane, and we didn't know
what to do with it."
Billie has only praise for the way the
CF-18 handles in a dogfight, but some
35 years after he flew the 4th-generation
fighter he believes technological devel-
opments and the changing nature of aer-
ial warfare now calls for a different kind
of fighter aircraft.
"Thirty to 20 years ago we were go-
ing to face the Soviet bloc hordes with
everything we had. We were going to do
attrition warfare and whoever was left
flying would be the winner," he says. "If
we still continue to think that way we
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