Reply #21: I think most of our air force is from the Cold War era, anyway [View All]

[Lisa]

Basically, long-distance fighter-interceptors to patrol the borders. Canada didn't really intend to be fighting this kind of war, needing something to support the ground forces. So there hasn't been any discussion in Parliament about buying something like the Warthog. (Maybe we could get some leftover Beavers and Otters and mount guns on those -- they're pretty reliable under primitive conditions!)

We did buy some new helicopters for the Coast Guard (and to support our navy ships). And there's been some lobbying to get some long-distance heavy-lift aircraft, to replace our aging Hercules craft. This has come up a couple of times, in regards to getting stuff to our overseas peacekeeping missions -- and most recently, emergency relief efforts like after the tsunami (when one of our planes had to turn back twice, due to mechanical problems, delaying the supplies). That was pretty embarrassing, and having to beg/rent rides from the Russians and US was reported widely in the media.