Canada’s Choice: The Battle Between the F-35 and F-18 Continue

In early September of this year, Canada finally made a decision when it came to deciding what would be their next jet fighter: Canada decided that all European fighters would be out of the picture.

That narrows the choices down to two aircraft: Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet. 

Super Hornets From VFA-41 Flying Over Afghanistan
Black Aces Flickr

F-35 Flying Over Edwards Air Force Base
US Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas Spangler

The question now is which aircraft should Canada choose. When considering the abilities of both aircraft, cost and Canada’s current needs the answer to Canada’s dilemma seems to be the F-18.

Aircraft Capabilities

Touted as the “only international fifth generation fighter” by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is a low observable (stealth) aircraft created to replace current U.S. legacy fighters in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Known as the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF for short, the F-35’s main role is ground attack however, the F-35 was also developed with a secondary air to air role as well.

The F-18 Super Hornet or F/A-18E/F (E is a single seat variant while F is a two seat variant) on the other hand is a 4.5 generation fighter based off of the F/A-18C/D fighter. Similarly to the F-35, the F/A-18 has both a ground attack role as well as an air to air role. Currently the F/A-18 acts as the backbone of the US Navy’s carrier fleet.

As stated previously, one of the F-35’s major selling points is its stealth capability. Although the F-35 has a radar cross section of 0.005 meters2, which is half of that of a bird’s RCS, the F/A-18 also boasts a small radar cross section. Since the F/A-18 was not developed as a stealth aircraft, the RCS of the Super Hornet is definitely not as small as that of the F-35’s. However, with a radar cross section of 1 m2, which is the same RCS of a human being, the F/A-18 obviously does not have a huge RCS either.

Boeing has also been developing a “semi-stealth” version of the Super Hornet with an RCS half that of the current F/A-18E/F however it is extremely unlikely that Canada will purchase this version of the F/A-18.

Semi-stealth Super Hornet
Boeing

At the same time, Boeing’s current F/A-18 test pilot, Ricardo Traven, who has had fifteen years of experience flying in the Canadian Air Force argues that the F-35 lost, “capability and performance” in order to gain stealth while the F/A-18 did not.

For instance, the F/A-18 while having a lower internal fuel capacity than the F-35 has a range of 3,300 km while the F-35A only has a range of 2,200 km.

Similarly, the F-35’s design also reduces it’s maneuverability. While the F/A-18 can sustain a 7.5 g turn, the F-35 can only sustain a 4.5 g turn. To add on, Ricardo Traven points out that the F/A-18’s “large control surfaces [and] large flaps… give the airplane a lot of manoeuverability”. Ricardo then continues to point out that the wings, ailerons, and flaps are, “shrunk down” on the F-35 thus reducing performance. Manoeuverability is not only an important factor when it comes to surviving dogfights, but it also plays an important role in dodging air to ground missiles. In other words maneuverability plays a key role in an aircraft’s survivability.

Lastly, although the F-35 is championed for its advanced electronic suite, the F/A-18 has similar systems and can be upgraded throughout its life. For instance, both aircraft possess AESA radar, which is critical to survival in our current 21st century environment. While the F-35’s radar and warning systems have some attributes, which the F/A-18 does not, the F/A-18 is being upgraded with a IRST system not equipped on current fifth generation aircraft. This Infrared Search and Track System has the ability to defeat radar stealth in some cases and increases the overall situational awareness of the fighter.

Canada’s Needs

Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments for the purchase of F/A-18s over F-35s is the price. The F-35 sells for a whopping $110 million while one F/A-18 is about half that price. To continue, the F/A-18 Super Hornet has already been battle tested in Iraq. The F-35 on the other hand has not finished testing and has not enter service yet.

As mentioned before, the F/A-18 has a much greater range than the F-35. Since, most of Canada’s air arm is used for patrol missions across the remote Canadian border it is important to have an aircraft able to sustain long trips through the arctic.

The F/A-18 is better equipped for Canada’s environment when compared to the F-35 in that as well as having a greater range than the F-35 the F/A-18 possesses two engines while the F-35 has one, and the F/A-18’s landing gear is better prepared for Canada’s northern runways. The importance of having two engines over one can best be explained by looking into the past. Nicknamed, the widow maker, the F-104 served in the Canadian Air Force more than fifty years ago. Not surprisingly, the F-104 was equipped with only one engine. The problem with one engine is that if you lose that engine you have no other backup. With a two engine aircraft like the F/A-18, you can still get home if one engine goes out.

Lastly, the current aircraft being used by the Canadian Air Force is the CF-18. By purchasing the F/A-18, Canadian pilots will be able to quickly transfer from the old Canadian F-18s to the upgraded Super Hornet. The F-35 on the other hand would be completely new to Canadian pilots.

CF-18 of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

As of now the Canadian Air Force has extended the CF-18’s service life from 2020 to 2025. For the time being Canada has a choice to make: The F/A-18 Super Hornet or the F-35.

May Canada choose wisely.