US warns they will send fighter jets into Canadian airspace if F-35 deal doesn’t go through | The Independent

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-canada-airspace-fighter-jets-b2907807.html

118 points · 24 comments · view on lemmy.world

24 Comments

snoons@lemmy.ca · 52 pts · 211d

So, extortion... I am not surprised.

WatDabney@sopuli.xyz · 48 pts · 211d

"We certainly can’t control President Trump, but … we can control our defense investments, who we award contracts to and how we are ultimately able to create jobs in Canada. So we’re going to focus on that.”

We need much more of this sort of thing.

It needs to reach the point at which the universal international response to Trump's latest bullshit is a diplomatically phrased (or even not) "Fuck you."

Whatever it is and whoever is on the receiving end - "Fuck you."

Reannlegge@lemmy.ca · 46 pts · 211d (1 reply)

This is more reason to get out of the deal and get more grafins.

Canconda@lemmy.ca · 26 pts · 211d

~70% of the lifetime revenue of the F-35 program would be the support costs on top of the purchase price. Even if Canada paid for every plane it ordered and grounded them the USA would be out 40Billion in revenue.

Meanwhile the planes cost 80-100 Million each to build. So if we refused to buy the remaining ~70 they'd be out 5.6Billion in production costs.

This new threat is a pathetically naked admission that the USA is hurting for revenue.

RandAlThor@lemmy.ca · 20 pts · 211d (5 replies)

I know this US ambassador is an a-hole, and he tends to shoot his mouth like Trump. However. After reading the article, it isn't as bad as the headline implies. Sending their jets isn't as a threat, but what the ambassador is saying is that more F-35s are needed to fill in whatever security roles it plays in their defensive strategy if Canada buys something else. In the event of some other jets we're using, they would have to alter NORAD in order to allow more US F-35 jets to patrol the skies over Canada.

ValueSubtracted@startrek.website · 11 pts · 211d

Yeah, this is already something they can (and do) do under the terms of NORAD.

PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 211d (2 replies)

Why would the Jets have to be f35s?

The agreement existed before f35s existed, so it can't be due to something unique to the f35 itself.

RandAlThor@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 211d (1 reply)

Not sure. These are the only type of its kind. It has capabilities other jets don't have and they work together with other F35s and defense systems.

PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 210d

NORAD worked with jets of other kinds, without the interplane networking, before the f35 existed.

To say that they depend on some feature or ability of the f35 is disingenuous.

MacroCyclo@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 211d

Had to scroll pretty far down to find someone that actually read it....

Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca · 16 pts · 210d

What the actual fuck? Buy shit from us or we will invade you. I'm fucking disgusted with my country.

kingofras@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 211d

MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca · 13 pts · 211d

And we shall send a flock of geese in return.

FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca · 11 pts · 210d (1 reply)

Canada is in the process of leaving an abusive relationship

escapeVelocity@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 210d

And It will get worst before it gets better

humanspiral@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 210d

The actual proposal is that the US would have to fund NORAD more, with their own planes. That should be great for all of Canadians. In fact, since NORAD defends the US from Russia, the US should pay Canada for use of our bases, and the privilege of using our airspace. The US only lives because of Canada.

NordicAnalyst@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 210d

Ah, i never heard a better arguement for NOT buying the f35

MrSulu@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 211d

Subscription freedom for Canadians.

PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 211d

They say, as though if we agree they won't simply use the same threat later for something else, and then ignore the agreement when it suits them.

Might as well just ignore the threat

ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com · 7 pts · 211d

In that case, US airspace is fair game for Canada. Rules don't mean anything anymore so fuck them.

ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 210d

If Lockheed Martin wants to abandon the US and give us all the classified information it has then the deal can proceed, if they want to continue to do business with the US or keep parts of their tech hidden then no deal can take place.

rxbudian@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 210d

Free Airspace Military Support. We don't have to spend billions of dollars buying and maintaining the F-35s. Adding to the Gripens, there's going to be more coverage on our airspace for less money...

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 210d

For some reason this reminds me of the the 9-11 bombings. In my Canadian newspaper (Globe and Mail from 9/11), it stated that the usa's FAA will shut down the airspace between usa/Canada if Canada did not prevent Salman Rushdie from entering the usa, from Canada. I was shocked that the FAA would threaten Canada like that. Then the destruction came and I never read or heard about that Salman Rushdie thing again.

leastaction@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 209d

An obvious bluff. If it comes to that, the US needs NORAD more than we do. Also, the US can no longer be considered an ally.