[Newsbot]

Title: Tories convert Russian-bomber incident into pitch for expensive new fighter jets
Topic: Military
Written By: NAUWATCH
Date: Tuesday, August 03 at 10:36
By Daniel Leblanc
The Conservative publicity machine scrambled into action as a common confrontation between Canadian and Russian military planes turned into a campaign for $16-billion in new fighter jets.
The story started on Wednesday when NORAD officials spotted two incoming planes, identified as Russian TU-95 long-range bombers, heading toward Labrador.
read more

[NAUWATCH]

New F35's For North American Security Integration
http://nauresistance.org/2010/08/new-f3 ... tegration/

[Dr Caleb]

Why we need new fighter jets.

[GreenTiger]

What happened is a classical Russian test of a potential adversary's military
strength. The time it takes from when the Russian bombers break allied radar cover is calculated to see, in this case Canada air defense capability. Usually NATo manages to get some assets up there in about 40 minutes which is not bad and log before the actually get into NATO airspace. It's an expensive cold war tactic.

[robertjb]

Mark Collins: Um, about that Russian threat to Canadian airspace�

Read more: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... z0vspZ5Ayz

Just a few days ago the govenment was touting the Russian threat to Canadian airspace as a justification for buying the F-35:

�Russian bomber flights over the Arctic � just two days ago � underscore why our men and women in uniform need modern equipment to do their jobs [actually the flights were off the coast of Labrador; hardly the Arctic but geographical facts are no impediment to the Conservatives' propagandizing]�

Somehow I can�t see the Minister of National Defence drawing attention to Canadian participation in this exercise just announced by NORAD:
NORAD and Russian Air Force plan cooperative air defense exercise

Aug. 2, 2010

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. � The Russian Federation Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a first-ever cooperative air defense exercise.

The civilian air control agencies of Russia (Federal Air Navigational Service) and the United States (Federal Aviation Administration) will also be involved in the exercise along with the military air operations centers at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and Khabarovsk, Russia.

The exercise, named VIGILANT EAGLE, will take place on or about Aug. 8-11 and involves Russian, Canadian and U.S. Air Force personnel operating from command centers in Russia and the United States.

This exercise is authorized under a cooperative military agreement signed by the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The agreement tasks NORAD, the bi-national U.S. and Canadian command, and the Russian Federation Air Force to conduct a live-fly exercise for up to five day



Read more: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... z0vsqAqtbf

[RickW]

Quote:

fighter jets to start replacing the CF-18s in 2017.

Until then though, all incursions into Canada's airspace by foreigners (except those who speak English) will be benign.....?

[RickW]

Dr Caleb wrote:

Why we need new fighter jets.

What we need as replacements is equipment that can operate in the Arctic, and not just sortie into it from the comforts in the south.

[RickW]

Quote:

“This incident demonstrates why it is vitally important for the Canadian Armed Forces to have the best technology and equipment available,” the Conservative Party said.

http://www.rickmercer.com/blog/index.cf ... diers-Need
"And so it was perfect timing this past week, when every headline was dominated by the humanitarian crisis in Haiti that the government let it slip out very quietly that the purchase of armored vehicles is now on "permanent hold" or what a civilian would call cancelled. Turns out it was just a photo op and perhaps a new low in Canadian politics."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/11/ ... lance.html
"During the federal election campaign, Harper pledged to defend the Arctic, promising to spend billions to buy new underwater sensors, build an army base in Cambridge Bay, construct a deepwater port near Iqaluit and buy three naval ice-breakers, among other things."

[Fiatlux2]

We have to defend Canada at any cost, so that our governments can sell it off to "wealth creating foreign investors".

Used to be called colonization.

The funniest part is that they're buying the country with the same monies we're paying them for products made from our own resources.

BRILLIANT !!!!!!!!!

Ed Deak.