Vanguard Magazine

FIghter REPLACEMENT www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 21 F Boeing super hornet The Super Hornet design will be at least 25 years old in 2021, and the aircraft will likely be approaching the last half of its US ac- tive service life. For Canada, this means that from perhaps 2045, even if aircraft perfor- mance can stay relevant (a major area of un- certainty), Super Hornet supportability and interoperability with our NORAD part- ner may become a serious issue. Secondly, whether new-build aircraft will even be available in 2021 is uncertain, since recent sales to Kuwait and now Canada will likely only extend production through 2019, un- less Boeing is able to obtain additional new orders or further slow production. A Cana- dian order in 2021 may therefore require restarting manufacturing – if that is possi- ble. Finally, in terms of potential industrial benefits, total Super Hornet production will top out at approximately 635 aircraft based on current orders, and the vast ma- jority of these have already been delivered. Industrial offsets would therefore have to come from Boeing's other programs, which may or may not include the kinds of leading edge technology development seen in advanced fighter programs. dassault rafale The Rafale is a contemporary of the Super Hornet and will also be at least 25 years old in 2021. Current plans are for France to operate the aircraft until at least 2040, but that would not even be the mid-point of the service life of the CF-18 replace- ment. The naval version of the Rafale has successfully operated from a US aircraft carrier, demonstrating some level of in- teroperability, however whether this is adequate for the NORAD mission and can be sustained in later life is uncertain. Later-life supportability will certainly be problematic. Known current orders and options amount to around 300 aircraft, of which well over half will have been deliv- ered by 2021, although it is likely to still be in production then. Meaningful indus- trial offsets will likely have to come from Dassault's other programs, which are not known to currently include a follow-on fighter development program. eurofighter typhoon The Typhoon is a contemporary of the Super Hornet and Rafale and will be at mid-life in 2021. The same later-life sup- portability and interoperability concerns will apply to it. Over 480 of the approxi- mately 600 Typhoons so far ordered have been delivered, however it is likely to still be in late stage production in 2021. A particular challenge when it comes to in- dustrial offsets is the fact the Eurofighter is a multinational consortium established eurofighter Typhoon Dassault Rafale

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