NORAD Future: What Happens if Canada BackTracks on F-35 Deal?

By Kris Osborn, Warrior

The Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon and French Dassault Rafale are all promising, upgradeable 4.5-gen fighters with an ability to perform well and defend Canada in coming decades, yet it seems unclear if they can compare to the kind of 5th-gen multi-national networked support they will receive with the F-35. 

This question of the F-35 for Canada has been lingering for quite some time, and there are of course many variables for Canada to consider. One of the key elements of the equation was emphasized recently by U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, who said the U.S. would need to acquire more aircraft for its own defense in the event Canada did not acquire F-35s.  Yet another report said the existing U.S., Canada NORAD partnership would need to change as well. 

F-35 for Canadian Security

There are a handful of  factors indicating why the F-35 would likely be a much better choice for Canadian deterrence than any 4.5-gen European fighters. The F-35 is not only stealthier and 5th-gen but able  to continuously upgrade in an unparalleled fashion.  Each new software drop enables a new sphere of weapons integration, so the F-35 will perpetually expand its lethality. 

Software drop Block IV, for example, enables the F-35 to drop the Stormbreaker weapon, a next-generation air-dropped munition able to track and destroy targets in all weather at distances out to 40km. In development for many years by Raytheon, the Stormbreaker incorporates a now famous “tri-mode seeker,” meaning it can leverage RF, laser or all weather millimeter wave guidance and targeting technology. The weapon is also engineered with a two-way data link enabling retargeting and in-flight adjustments. Tactically speaking, the GBU-53/B Stormbreaker can track a moving target through fog or weather obscurants from great distances and adjust course as needed. This much anticipated weapon will greatly multiply and expand the F-35s attack capabilities in more dynamic modern threat environments. 

Russian Threat

It makes sense that Canada might want an ability to operate a protective air envelope throughout its airspace, with a particular focus on deterring potential threats from Russia to its Western border South of Alaska. Russia could also pose a threat to Canada’s Northern border through the Arctic. In a scenario of this kind, a collection of 16 F-35s would be ill equipped to protect Canadian shores because it simply would not be enough to establish a 5th-generation defensive perimeter along the vast expanse of its borders. As for the particular merits of the F-35 for Canada, there are many factors to consider related to geography and 5th-gen stealth fighter jet technology as well. It seems clear that fighter jets tasked with defending Canadian airspace would need to “network” across vast distances, something which would require a much larger fleet of F-35s. 

Russian Su-57

Since Russian weapons and air power are likely the largest threat for Canada, any defensive air power the country has would need to confront, stop or potentially destroy Russian 5th-Gen Su-57s. Despite the fact that Russia appears to suffer from an ongoing production problem related to its efforts to build a full fleet of Su-57s, the aircraft presents a threat Canada is likely to take seriously given how reachable its Northern and Western shores are to Russian air attack.  As a known 5th-gen fighter as well, the F-35 could not only potentially outmatch the Su-57 but also deploy a much larger 5th-gen fleet.  A Saab Jas Gripen, by contrast, is not-only non-stealthy but regarded as a 4.5-gen aircraft which is “not” 5th-gen, a circumstance potentially making it more vulnerable to Russian Su-57s. 

The advantage of the F-35 in this kind of contingency can be observed through its common, interoperable, fleet-wide data sharing technology called MADL, for Multi-function Advanced Data Link.  This means time-critical threat data gathered by F-35’s Distributed Aperture System (DAS) sensors could instantly be “networked” across an entire formation of F-35s. This vastly expands battlefield presence and any commensurate need to track and destroy threats across a wide geographical expanse. 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The HistoryChannel. He also has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia