Alternative buys for Canada

[Weaver]

"What if Canada decided to stand by it's aircraft industry and spend the money to design and
build all (or most) of it's major combat aircraft?"

The CF-105 was cancelled because of bloated costs, if produced it would have absorbed
the majority of the defense budget for years to come, there simply wouldn't have been
the monies available for your scenario, particularly another all new combat aircraft from
scratch. Canada simply didn't have the population, and thus taxation, base to support
such a huge program.

True, but this is What-If, so change some of the conditions:

What If the programmes were cheaper because they were joint ventures with other countries? Canada still gets a share of design and development rather than just licence-producing somebody else's non-optimised design. The UK or US seems a natural partner for the Arrow (both were explored in real life) and the strike aircraft is predictated upon the F-104 falling from grace, so maybe other real-life F-104 customers would be up for a joint replacement?

What If Canada was just richer, i.e. more natural resources, more people and more industry?

What If world events made the Canadian taxpayer more willing to pay a higher defence budget? A series of Soviet incursions/incidents in the arctic and/or off the coasts would do nicely...

[Weaver]

Canadian Defense spending was 4.19% of GDP in 1960 but was down to only 1.25% in 2017

Spource: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS

[Weaver]

By Scorchi0 on DeviantArt here: https://www.deviantart.com/scorchi0/art/Viggen-Canadian-AIRCOM-193974229




By Kappin Hook, from here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/2401810/?sphrase_id=6509714

[DarrenP2]

Ok

Canada Buys the F4E phantom instead for the Starfighter and bases this mainly in Germany

Canada buys the F4B instead of the F101 Voodoo later replacing the F4B with the F4J

Canada Buys the Harrier GR3 instead of the F5

To increase flexibility the canadian armed forces buy 5 short Belfasts

and buys the Puma instead of the Bell 212