F-35 Orders

[vyrago]

Canada was part of the F-35 development program and was scheduled to buy roughly 65 fighters. But following a change in government in 2015, the order was cancelled for purely political reasons. Reasons given were rising costs and concerns about the overall effectiveness of the F-35's so called "stealth". Turns out this concern was mostly misinformation. The F-35 has since been proven to be quite stealthy. Canada is still in need of a new fighter to replace its again legacy CF-188s (F/A-18A++ Hornets). New fighter competition was initiated with three primary contenders: The Lockheed-Martin F-35, the Saab Gripen and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet. The Super Hornet was just eliminated from the competition. The only public statement as to why it was eliminated was that the offer from Boeing did "not meet the requirements of Canada" with no further reasons given. That leaves the 4.5 Generation Saab Gripen and the Lockheed-Martin F-35. Many believe the F-35 will eventually be the winner of the competition, despite its earlier cancellation. Both the F-35 and Gripen are single-engine fighters with roughly the same range. In the past Canada has preferred twin-engine fighters with a preference for longer operating ranges.

[Wdll]

Originally Posted by vyrago

Canada was part of the F-35 development program and was scheduled to buy roughly 65 fighters. But following a change in government in 2015, the order was cancelled for purely political reasons. Reasons given were rising costs and concerns about the overall effectiveness of the F-35's so called "stealth". Turns out this concern was mostly misinformation. The F-35 has since been proven to be quite stealthy. Canada is still in need of a new fighter to replace its again legacy CF-188s (F/A-18A++ Hornets). New fighter competition was initiated with three primary contenders: The Lockheed-Martin F-35, the Saab Gripen and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet. The Super Hornet was just eliminated from the competition. The only public statement as to why it was eliminated was that the offer from Boeing did "not meet the requirements of Canada" with no further reasons given. That leaves the 4.5 Generation Saab Gripen and the Lockheed-Martin F-35. Many believe the F-35 will eventually be the winner of the competition, despite its earlier cancellation. Both the F-35 and Gripen are single-engine fighters with roughly the same range. In the past Canada has preferred twin-engine fighters with a preference for longer operating ranges.

Doesn't the F-35 carry almost double the payload of the Gripen?