The real question is whether the Russian Air Force still intends to invade Canada via the Arctic. Preventing that invasion still requires a supersonic, long-range interceptor like the Avro Arrow. Too bad no-one is building that class of airplane.
After the Arrow's cancellation, the RCAF diddled with Bomarc missiles, but never bothered to tell the Canadian public about their nuclear warheads. Then the RCAF bought votes in Quebec by building a batch of CF-5s in Montreal. CF-5s were great lead-in trainers for supersonic fighters and had a secondary role as ground-attack bombers, but lacked the payload to deliver a full bomb-load beyond the end of their own runways!
Hah!
Hah!
Canadair also bought more votes when they built CF-104 Starfighters which proved to be great short-range interceptors, but again lacked the range to cover all of Canadian airspace. CF-104 also packed the avionics and second set of eyeballs to intercept Russian bombers over the high Arctic. Eventually, the RCAF "found" a NATO role for Starfighters as low-altitude, nuclear strike. But I always saw the last CF-104 role as pounding existing hardware to fit a NATO role.
After lengthy negotiations the RCAF finally bought CF-101 Voodos for the long-range interceptor role. CF-101 were single-mission interceptors equipped with nuclear-tipped missiles. Again, the RCAF failed to tell the Canadian public about all those nuclear missiles based on Canadian soil. The political ridge was that the missiles were guarded by USAF Air Police on tiny patches of "American soil" contained within triple fences at RCAF bomb dumps, within RCAF air bases.
The CF-101 purchase was brilliantly timed - for the USAF because it allowed them to trade old airplanes for pilots. During the 1960s, the USAF was retiring its F-101 interceptors and replacing them with multi-role F-4 Phantoms needed to bomb the Viet Cong back into the Stone Age/ the USAF also suffered a shortage of polite as they ramped up to fight the Viet Nam War. Many RCAF exchange officers passed the Viet Nam War training young USAF pilots in Texas.
CF-101 defended Canadian air space for more than 20 years until replaced by 3rd generation CF-18s. CF-18s have proved expensive to keep in the air for more than 30 years. Much of that expense is paying retail for the latest software upgrades that allow CF-18s to collaborate with allies as they bomb bad guts in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, etc. helping bomb had guys buys Canada a seat at G7 summits.
During the 2015 federal election, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau promised to re-open bidding for the F-35 contract. We wonder if Trudeau will serious consider buying CF-18Fs to replace their older siblings???? We also know that Swedish, French, Russian, Chinese, Indian etc. fighter planes will only receive lip-service during international trade talks (e.g. Trans Pacific Trade talks in 2015).
Sounds like Trudeau is trying to beat the record set by previous Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
Does young Trudeau plan to repeat Jean Chretien's expensive debacle when he cancelled the Sea King replacement contract?
Cancellation costs were almost expensive as buying a handful of EH-101 helicopters.
A few years later, the RCAF bought EH-101 helicopters for search and rescue, then they bought a batch of CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for the army and most recently bought a batch of S-92 sub-hunting helicopters for the RCN.
30 years after the Canadian Forces asked for replacements for their cracked and corroded Sea Kings, Sikorsky S-92s may be flying in RCAF service, but are still years away from fielding operational ASW software.
Weapons systems are so frightfully expensive that the mission often becomes priority last, with political objectives moving to the forefront. RCAF spending eventually bought (CF-104, CF-5, CF-18 overhaul, etc.) so many votes in Quebec, that the (separatist) Parti Quebecois fizzled.
Meanwhile, CF-18 strikes overseas buy Canada credibility at the G7, NATO and United Nations.
