【多伦多星报】加拿大人质疑是否应该购买65架之多的F-35

原文链接：http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1133559--ottawa-should-come-clean-on-cost-of-the-f-35-canada-s-new-stealth-fighter

大概意思就是原来说好的价格是50亿美金65架，而现在已经变成了90亿美金，而且看还在持续增长，让人不爽……但是这个文章也说了，加拿大换装F35与其说是因为这是好JJ，倒不如说是因为这是美国JJ——“Military procurement is always a highly-politicized, messy, controversial roll of the dice. The F-35A is no different. ”

Will Canada get the full fleet of 65 new F-35A “stealth” fighter jets that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government promised when it agreed to spend $9 billion to refit the air force with the latest in radar-defying planes? That’s the minimum number of high-end aircraft the air force says it needs.

But development problems, technical glitches and production delays at Lockheed Martin have driven up the F-35’s cost, leaving the United States government and eight foreign partners with a nasty case of sticker shock, if not full-fledged buyers’ remorse. Indeed, Ottawa officials will meet with other buyers on March 2 at our embassy in Washington to review the next-generation fighter program.

There’s reason to be concerned that Ottawa may have to settle for fewer jets than expected for our $9 billion. And 65 is the “minimum acceptable fleet size” the air force needs. It raises questions about the entire purchase, which has yet to be finalized.

While Harper has assured Parliament that the project is on track and Ottawa will get its planes “within that budget,” Defence Minister Peter MacKay and his staff have dodged questions about whether we will follow the Americans, British and Italians in scaling back the number of planes on order as unit costs rise.

Sitting on the fence is not a strategy the Conservative government can keep up much longer.

Calculating the F-35A costs is a frustrating business. Harper’s ministers confidently predict we’ll get the full complement of 65 jets for a “fly-away price” of $5 billion, or $75 million apiece. (The true procurement cost rises to $9 billion or $140 million apiece after factoring in upgrades, weapons, training, spare parts and other essentials.) But the Pentagon is currently paying a lot bigger fly-away price — $120 million — and some analysts suggest this may prove the real cost going forward. While the Pentagon predicts the cost will fall back to $90 million as production ramps up, that’s still far more than Harper’s ministers will acknowledge.

Whatever Ottawa ends up paying when our jets roll off the assembly line between 2016 and 2022, a 65-jet purchase will cost far more than advertised. Other purchasers can see that. They are cutting back.

It is past time the Harper government came clean with Canadians on the F-35A’s stealth cost. Does Ottawa still intend to buy the full fleet of 65? At what cost? The $9 billion figure is simply not believable. Will the air force have to make do with fewer? How many fewer? 60? 50? 40? Can we keep some of our aging CF-18 fighter-bombers in the air to plug the gap?

And realistically, do we have other options?

The New Democrats and Liberals have been critical of the F-35A sole-source purchase and would have preferred tenders from other firms for cheaper aircraft. But that raises the prospect that Canada may not have a fully combat-capable air force by 2025 if others are flying state-of-the-art warplanes while we field older aircraft.

All things being equal, it makes more sense to fly the same warplane as the Americans rather than go it alone. And they remain committed to the F-35A, troubled as it is.

Military procurement is always a highly-politicized, messy, controversial roll of the dice. The F-35A is no different. But Canadians should have more information than they’re getting from this secrecy-obsessed government. Beginning with a credible update on just how badly the new planes will bomb the piggy bank.

原文链接：http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1133559--ottawa-should-come-clean-on-cost-of-the-f-35-canada-s-new-stealth-fighter

大概意思就是原来说好的价格是50亿美金65架，而现在已经变成了90亿美金，而且看还在持续增长，让人不爽……但是这个文章也说了，加拿大换装F35与其说是因为这是好JJ，倒不如说是因为这是美国JJ——“Military procurement is always a highly-politicized, messy, controversial roll of the dice. The F-35A is no different. ”

Will Canada get the full fleet of 65 new F-35A “stealth” fighter jets that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government promised when it agreed to spend $9 billion to refit the air force with the latest in radar-defying planes? That’s the minimum number of high-end aircraft the air force says it needs.

But development problems, technical glitches and production delays at Lockheed Martin have driven up the F-35’s cost, leaving the United States government and eight foreign partners with a nasty case of sticker shock, if not full-fledged buyers’ remorse. Indeed, Ottawa officials will meet with other buyers on March 2 at our embassy in Washington to review the next-generation fighter program.

There’s reason to be concerned that Ottawa may have to settle for fewer jets than expected for our $9 billion. And 65 is the “minimum acceptable fleet size” the air force needs. It raises questions about the entire purchase, which has yet to be finalized.

While Harper has assured Parliament that the project is on track and Ottawa will get its planes “within that budget,” Defence Minister Peter MacKay and his staff have dodged questions about whether we will follow the Americans, British and Italians in scaling back the number of planes on order as unit costs rise.

Sitting on the fence is not a strategy the Conservative government can keep up much longer.

Calculating the F-35A costs is a frustrating business. Harper’s ministers confidently predict we’ll get the full complement of 65 jets for a “fly-away price” of $5 billion, or $75 million apiece. (The true procurement cost rises to $9 billion or $140 million apiece after factoring in upgrades, weapons, training, spare parts and other essentials.) But the Pentagon is currently paying a lot bigger fly-away price — $120 million — and some analysts suggest this may prove the real cost going forward. While the Pentagon predicts the cost will fall back to $90 million as production ramps up, that’s still far more than Harper’s ministers will acknowledge.

Whatever Ottawa ends up paying when our jets roll off the assembly line between 2016 and 2022, a 65-jet purchase will cost far more than advertised. Other purchasers can see that. They are cutting back.

It is past time the Harper government came clean with Canadians on the F-35A’s stealth cost. Does Ottawa still intend to buy the full fleet of 65? At what cost? The $9 billion figure is simply not believable. Will the air force have to make do with fewer? How many fewer? 60? 50? 40? Can we keep some of our aging CF-18 fighter-bombers in the air to plug the gap?

And realistically, do we have other options?

The New Democrats and Liberals have been critical of the F-35A sole-source purchase and would have preferred tenders from other firms for cheaper aircraft. But that raises the prospect that Canada may not have a fully combat-capable air force by 2025 if others are flying state-of-the-art warplanes while we field older aircraft.

All things being equal, it makes more sense to fly the same warplane as the Americans rather than go it alone. And they remain committed to the F-35A, troubled as it is.

Military procurement is always a highly-politicized, messy, controversial roll of the dice. The F-35A is no different. But Canadians should have more information than they’re getting from this secrecy-obsessed government. Beginning with a credible update on just how badly the new planes will bomb the piggy bank.