Canada’s political reversal is complete

[Tupac Shakur]

2. He complains that the plane isn't maneuverable. That's bull****. The thing can pull a 9g turn, which is stretching the limit human pilots can operate in anyway.

3. The F-16 can't do ground support? Oh really? Tell that to the IAF.

I imagine the Israelis would listen closely, considering he designed the F-16.

[Hauldren Collider]

Apparently not closely enough to take his advice. And by the way, neither do we, although we also have A-10s to fill the ground support role.

Also, you make it sound as if he designed it all by himself.

[regexcellent]

The F-16 does ground support all the time. The Israelis use it for that purpose all the time.

[Hauldren Collider]

Oh, but it's completely terrible at it! You can trust me because I was one of thousands of people to work on the thing when it was developed. Forget its operational record. Listen to me spew my military wisdom literally from my armchair!

[Tupac Shakur]

Only an ignorant **** would think the F-16 (a lightweight fighter designed for dogfighting) is anywhere near as capable at ground attack missions as the A-10 (which was designed specifically for close air support).

[regexcellent]

The F-16 was designed as a day fighter but wound up being a very effect multirole all-weather aircraft.

Sure, the A-10 is excellent at tankbusting. Buying more A-10s might not be a bad idea. For whatever reason the Air Force hates them and wants to be rid of them as quickly as possible; in fact, the only reason it's still around is because the Army balks whenever the Air Force tries to do just that.

[Hauldren Collider]

Only an ignorant **** would think the F-16 (a lightweight fighter designed for dogfighting) is anywhere near as capable at ground attack missions as the A-10 (which was designed specifically for close air support).

Well it's good that I never said that. The A-10 is ****ing awesome

[Tupac Shakur]

You can trust me because I was one of thousands of people to work on the thing when it was developed.

Since I don't trust that you'll realize how retarded this is on your own...

Pierre Sprey consulted for Grumman Aircraft's research department from 1958 to 1965, then joined Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's "Whiz Kids" in the Pentagon. There, in 1967, he met the Air Force's brilliant and original tactician, Col. John Boyd and quickly became a disciple and collaborator of Boyd's. Together with another innovative fighter pilot, Col. Everest Riccioni (U.S. Air Force), they started and carried out the concept design of the F-16 air-to-air fighter and went on to bring the project to fruition.

Sprey also headed up the technical side of the Air Force's concept design team for the A-10 close support fighter. Then, against opposition, he helped implement the A-10's innovative live-fire, prototype fly-off competition and subsequent production. Sprey left the Pentagon in 1971 but continued to consult actively on the F-16, the A-10, tanks and anti-tank weapons, and realistic operational/live-fire testing of major weapons.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01302009/profile.html

Sprey is John mother****ing Boyd's disciple.

[Guynemer]

That was a relatively quick threadjack.

[The Mad Monk]

Good point, I meant widow-making the wrong people

Maxim #4. Close air support covereth a multitude of sins.
Maxim #5. Close air support and friendly fire should be easier to tell apart.

[Dr Strangelove]

Just out of curiosity back when UNESCO recognised Palestine Canada quickly joined the US in pulling its funding of UNESCO. I thought I heard a few months later that Canada reversed its position and reinstated funding. Is that true?

[regexcellent]

As far as I can tell, no.

Can we not have another Israel/Palestine thread? Even Canadian politics are more interesting.

[DinoDoc]

Does this mean you'll drop the ridiculous bilingual requirement for government?

[Wezil]

Does this mean you'll drop the ridiculous bilingual requirement for government?

?

[Wezil]

Just out of curiosity back when UNESCO recognised Palestine Canada quickly joined the US in pulling its funding of UNESCO. I thought I heard a few months later that Canada reversed its position and reinstated funding. Is that true?

You got your facts wrong.

Canada will continue funding UNESCO even though it doesn’t like the organization’s move to recognize a Palestinian state, but Ottawa will rebuff appeals for more money to make up for a U.S. cut.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Tuesday that Canada will say no to new requests for voluntary funding to make up for a massive budget shortfall looming as the U.S. cuts its financial contribution to UNESCO. But Ottawa will continue to pay the roughly $10-million per year that UNESCO levies for Canadian membership.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-to-keep-but-not-hike-current-unesco-funding/article2221537/

Harper is fanatically pro-Israel (more so than any prior PM) but the political price would have been too high for him.