Sweden has nearly a century constant fighter aircraft making experience but by the time of the gripen it all became so costly that it’s heavily made of tech from like the UK and other European countries. Engines from the US. A big problem with trying to develop a modern engine without having all the research and industrial experience transferred from another country, it would take tens of billions of USD of research to accomplish even with good industrial espionage
Like the big hiccups for Russian 5th gen fighters are the engines. 30+ years of development and it’s just barely looking like it’s coming to readiness and that’s with decades prior of other engines developed. For today’s modern engines that became competitive at the high end competition, for China, research really started in the 70s. India had been trying since the 90s. It’s an insanely expensive research project. Canada would likely have a worse time funding it than India.
South Korea and Turkey are likely a good aspiration for Canada while a Sweden a model they can better emulate. Canada would be far behind those SK/T in terms of domestic technology they can draw from though. Canada has Bombadier at least
I don’t think I can understate just how ridiculously expensive it is to start up your own jet fighting industry from basically scratch.
In the entire world, there are only 5 countries that produce fighter jets. USA, Sweden, France, China, Russia.
Look at Sweden over here punching above its weight class!
(going strictly by population size)
Sweden has nearly a century constant fighter aircraft making experience but by the time of the gripen it all became so costly that it’s heavily made of tech from like the UK and other European countries. Engines from the US. A big problem with trying to develop a modern engine without having all the research and industrial experience transferred from another country, it would take tens of billions of USD of research to accomplish even with good industrial espionage
Like the big hiccups for Russian 5th gen fighters are the engines. 30+ years of development and it’s just barely looking like it’s coming to readiness and that’s with decades prior of other engines developed. For today’s modern engines that became competitive at the high end competition, for China, research really started in the 70s. India had been trying since the 90s. It’s an insanely expensive research project. Canada would likely have a worse time funding it than India.
South Korea and Turkey are likely a good aspiration for Canada while a Sweden a model they can better emulate. Canada would be far behind those SK/T in terms of domestic technology they can draw from though. Canada has Bombadier at least
I was just watching some informative stuff about jet engines the other day, so I appreciate what you’re saying even more than I normally would, lol.