Canada skipping 5th gen, to fly the CF-18 til 2032

via National Post.

Canada will squeeze even more flying time out of its aging CF-18s, keeping the jets operating for another 15 years.

There had been plans to take the jets out of service shortly after 2025.

But representatives from companies who took part in a Jan. 22 industry day outlining the Liberal government’s program to buy new fighter planes were told the RCAF will now keep the CF-18s operating until 2032.

The jets, first received in 1982, will be retired after 50 years of service.

Some aerospace industry sources, however, question whether the 2032 retirement is set in stone since any delays in the purchase of new jets could alter that schedule.

The first replacement aircraft for the CF-18s will arrive in 2025 but the deliveries of the 88 planes would not be completed until 2030, according to the federal government documents distributed to industry representatives at the Jan. 22 meeting in Ottawa.

Story here. 

This F-35 issue has many govts twisting in the wind.  The USMC bought UK Harriers so that they could have a fresh supply of parts for that airplane but instead chose to keep the Hornet in service longer and retire the AV-8B early.

Weird thinking but that's what they're doing.

Now we see the Canadian decision. 

Stunning.

They are in essence reverting their air arm to a flying coast guard and will only protect the homeland.  In some ways that is the essence of national defense but will make them irrelevant in any future allied actions...even popular ones.

But to the mechanics of this thing.

I've heard of large aircraft being kept in service for a number of years but a fighter?  Is it possible?  I can imagine that they would have to limit g's and they would be limiting overall flight hours to make it work.

Sucks for Canada but it will be a wonderful laboratory to see how things work or not.