The Canadian air force is considering putting all 65 of its planned F-35 strike fighters into its operational force, relying on simulators for training, said Maj. Gen. Y.J. Blondin, Canadian Forces’ assistant chief of the air staff. Speaking at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Blondin said Canada places a heavy emphasis on virtual training “and how we can push the envelope,” when balancing future trends against the cost of operations. He said he’d like to see Canada’s future strike fighter pilots train on a smaller platform before moving on to virtual training and then directly into their operational squadrons. Blondin was part of a panel discussion on contingency operations.
Space Force leaders say that while they’re eager to implement the Pentagon’s newly announced acquisition transformation strategy, civilian personnel cuts and a prolonged government shutdown have depleted the acquisition and contracting workforce, adding to pressures on the cadre that could make it difficult to hit the ground running on reform.
