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CANADA
SAAB'S GRIPEN FAVORED BY CANADA ... Mind To Impact

Canada’s $27B F-35 DEAL COLLAPSES — Gripen DOMINATES the Arctic!


Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RszDLaAiawk
Canada’s $27B F-35 DEAL COLLAPSES — Gripen DOMINATES the Arctic!

Mind To Impact

Dec 26, 2025

3.41K subscribers

#CanadaDefense #F35 #Gripen

Canada’s $27B F-35 DEAL COLLAPSES — Gripen DOMINATES the Arctic!

Canada’s $27 billion F-35 fighter jet deal is facing serious turbulence — and a surprising challenger is emerging from the Arctic. 🇨🇦✈️ In this video, we break down why the F-35 program is under growing scrutiny, how Saab’s Gripen fighter is outperforming expectations in cold-weather operations, and what this means for Canada’s national defense strategy.

From Arctic sovereignty and operating costs to NATO politics and industrial offsets, this isn’t just about fighter jets — it’s about Canada’s long-term military independence. With delays, cost overruns, and logistical challenges piling up, many experts are asking whether the F-35 was ever the right choice for Canada’s unique geography.

Meanwhile, the Gripen’s Arctic trials, dispersed basing capability, and lower lifecycle costs are reigniting debate over whether Ottawa missed a critical opportunity.
  • 🔥 Is Canada locked into a deal that no longer makes sense?
  • ❄️ Can the Gripen truly dominate the Arctic?
  • 💰 And could this decision reshape future defense procurement?
Watch to the end for a full breakdown of the political, military, and strategic fallout behind one of Canada’s most controversial defense decisions.
  • 0:00 – Canada’s $27B fighter jet gamble is unraveling faster than anyone expected.
  • 0:55 – Why the F-35 was chosen — and the promises that convinced Ottawa.
  • 1:50 – The hidden costs and delays quietly haunting the F-35 program.
  • 2:45 – Canada’s Arctic problem: why geography changes everything.
  • 3:40 – Enter the Gripen: the fighter jet built for cold, remote warfare.
  • 4:35 – Arctic trials reveal a performance gap no one wanted to admit.
  • 5:30 – Logistics matter: dispersed basing vs complex infrastructure.
  • 6:25 – Cost comparison: lifetime expenses that shock taxpayers.
  • 7:20 – NATO politics and why walking away isn’t so simple.
  • 8:15 – What Canada may have lost by rejecting the Gripen.
  • 9:10 – Could this deal still collapse — or is it already too late?
  • 10:10 – Final verdict: the future of Canada’s air power in the Arctic.
Two fighter philosophies collide over the frozen skies of the Arctic.

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#CanadaDefense #F35 #Gripen #MilitaryAviation #ArcticWarfare #CanadianAirForce #DefenseNews #FighterJets #MilitaryTechnology #Geopolitics

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Peter Burgess COMMENTARY



Peter Burgess
Transcript
  • 0:00
  • Canada’s $27B fighter jet gamble is unraveling faster than anyone expected.
  • So, what's really going on here?
  • Canada's biggest defense contract ever
  • worth $27.7 billion is on the verge of
  • collapse. But the threat isn't coming
  • from Russia. It's not coming from China.
  • It's coming from a tiny Nordic country,
  • Sweden. While the F-35 has been hailed
  • as the world's most advanced stealth
  • fighter, a classified report just
  • revealed a shocking truth in the Arctic
  • Theater, where Canada actually needs to
  • defend the F-35 only completes 42% of
  • missions. Sweden's cry. That number
  • didn't just stun Ottawa, it left the
  • Pentagon speechless. Is this the first
  • time a NATO country has publicly
  • admitted that America's super fighter
  • isn't the best choice? The story behind
  • this decision is about to change how we
  • think about Arctic security and the
  • future of the F-35 program. The F-35

  • 0:55
  • Why the F-35 was chosen — and the promises that convinced Ottawa.
  • Lightning 2 is a technological
  • masterpiece. Absolute stealth, nextG
  • sensors, superior cyber warfare

  • 1:02
  • capabilities. But there's one problem.
  • It was designed for a war Canada will
  • never have to fight. The F-35 was built
  • to take off from NATO's warm concrete
  • runways, refuel from massive stockpiles,
  • and land on US carriers in the middle of
  • the Pacific. That's Washington's
  • battlefield, not Ottawa's. Canada's
  • Arctic is a completely different story.
  • No infrastructure, no heated runways, no
  • winterized hangers. Temperatures drop to
  • minus50 C blizzards last for weeks and
  • Earth's magnetic field constantly
  • interferes with electronic systems. In
  • that environment, the F-35 becomes a
  • massive logistical burden. Every flight
  • hour costs $44,000.
  • Prep time for takeoff hours, combat

  • 1:50
  • The hidden costs and delays quietly haunting the F-35 program.
  • readiness in the Arctic. According to
  • Canadian defense experts, under 50%. But
  • here's the detail most media outlets
  • 1:58
  • miss when an airspace violation happens

  • 2:00
  • in the Arctic. And this happens
  • regularly with Russian Aircraft Canada
  • needs to respond within 15 minutes. The
  • F-35 needs at least 2 hours to be ready
  • in Arctic conditions. The question isn't
  • is the F-35 powerful. The question is
  • can the F-35 defend the Arctic? And the
  • answer according to the Canadian
  • government's classified capability
  • report is no. The Grian E isn't the
  • flashiest fighter jet. It doesn't have
  • absolute stealth. It wasn't designed to
  • dominate global skies. But it was born
  • to do one thing better than any other
  • aircraft. Survive and fight in the
  • harshest environment on the planet.
  • Sweden gets this. They've spent 70 years

  • 2:45
  • Canada’s Arctic problem: why geography changes everything.
  • preparing for the scenario. The West
  • always considered impossible Russia
  • attacking through the Arctic in winter.
  • The Griebbin is the product of that
  • fear. The Gribbon's capabilities sound
  • like science fiction, but they're
  • completely real. It can take off from an

  • 3:00
  • 800 me stretch of frozen highway. It
  • doesn't even need an actual runway. No
  • hanger required, no complex ground
  • support equipment, a crew of five
  • people, just five, can refuel and rearm
  • a Grippin in under 10 minutes. For the
  • F-35, that's 30 people and over 2 hours.
  • Operating costs $7,800 per flight hour.
  • Compared to the F-35's 44,000, this
  • isn't just an economic advantage. It's
  • the difference between an air force that
  • can fly every day and one that only
  • flies when absolutely necessary. But
  • here's the critical point defense
  • analysts emphasize. In Arctic warfare,

  • 3:42
  • Enter the Gripen: the fighter jet built for cold, remote warfare.
  • victory doesn't go to whoever has the
  • best technology. It goes to whoever can
  • sustain operations the longest in the
  • most locations with the least support.
  • The Gripman was designed exactly for
  • that. It can operate at 40C without
  • special modifications. It can disperse
  • across dozens of positions along the

  • 4:01
  • Arctic border, turning every highway
  • stretch into a temporary air base. This
  • isn't theory. This is what the Arctic
  • Capability Assessment just proved. The
  • Arctic Capability Assessment wasn't a
  • public document. It was designed to
  • answer one simple question. Can the F-35
  • meet minimum requirements to defend
  • Canada's Arctic territory? The results
  • shocked both Ottawa and Washington. In 6
  • months of simulation testing, modeling
  • real airspace violations, long range
  • bomber intercepts, and Arctic border

  • 4:35
  • Arctic trials reveal a performance gap no one wanted to admit.
  • patrols, the F-35 only completed 42% of
  • missions in harsh winter conditions. The
  • Grippen E7%.
  • This number isn't just a statistic. It
  • represents the difference between an air
  • force that can actually defend national
  • sovereignty and one that only exists on
  • paper. According to experts involved in
  • the assessment, the Green achieves three
  • times the combat readiness rate of the

  • 5:01
  • F-35 in Arctic environments at 15 if the
  • cost. That means with the same budget,
  • Canada could maintain 15 times more
  • patrol hours than with the F-35. The
  • Pentagon's response, radio silence. The
  • Pentagon can't deny the data. They also
  • can't claim the F-35 will be improved
  • because fundamental design and logistics
  • issues can't be fixed with software
  • upgrades. But here's what really worries
  • Washington. If Canada, a loyal NATO

  • 5:31
  • Logistics matter: dispersed basing vs complex infrastructure.
  • ally, America's closest NORAD partner,
  • publicly admits the F-35 doesn't meet
  • their defense needs, what will other
  • countries do? Poland just signed an F-35
  • contract. Finland is considering it.
  • Norway already ordered theirs. All of
  • them are Arctic capable nations or
  • operate in similarly harsh environments.
  • If the domino effect starts, the F-35
  • export program worth hundreds of
  • billions of dollars could collapse and

  • 6:00
  • the Gripen the Jet Loheed Martin once
  • dismissed as a minor regional competitor
  • suddenly becomes the biggest threat to
  • America's defense empire. To understand
  • why this decision matters so much, we
  • need to look at what's actually
  • happening in the Arctic right now.
  • Russia currently has 54 active military
  • bases in the Arctic region. Canada fewer
  • than 10. While Ottawa is still debating
  • defense budgets, Moscow has deployed

  • 6:25
  • Cost comparison: lifetime expenses that shock taxpayers.
  • S400 air defense systems along its
  • northern coast, expanded military
  • airfields capable of hosting strategic
  • bombers, and commissioned the world's
  • largest fleet of nuclear ice breakers.
  • This isn't preparation for a
  • hypothetical war. This is a real
  • sovereignty claim. Russia now deploys
  • over 200 Arctic capable fighter jets,
  • including the MiG 31, specifically
  • designed for extreme cold environments.
  • They conduct regular patrols along
  • Canada's border, testing NORAD's
  • response times and collecting
  • intelligence on Western air defense

  • 7:01
  • capabilities.
  • Every time a Russian aircraft violates
  • Canada's air defense identification
  • zone, Ottawa has to make a call scramble
  • to intercept or not. With the F-35 and
  • its extended prep time, the answer is
  • usually we can't get there in time. This
  • is exactly why the Grubin becomes a

  • 7:21
  • NATO politics and why walking away isn’t so simple.
  • critical strategic choice. The Green EF
  • isn't just a fighter jet. It's a
  • complete mobile Arctic defense system.
  • The ability to disperse across multiple
  • locations means Canada can maintain
  • continuous presence along the northern
  • border without building expensive
  • infrastructure. Rapid deployment means
  • response times drop from hours to
  • minutes. Low operating costs mean Canada
  • more patrol missions, creating
  • continuous deterrence instead of
  • sporadic presence. And here's the point.
  • Defense strategists emphasize in Arctic
  • warfare, the winner isn't whoever has
  • the most powerful weapons. It's whoever

  • 8:00
  • shows up the most. But the grind doesn't
  • just win on mobility. Its integrated
  • technology was designed precisely for
  • the kind of warfare Canada faces. The
  • Green E sensor system integrates radar,
  • infrared, and electronic warfare into a

  • 8:16
  • What Canada may have lost by rejecting the Gripen.
  • unified data network in the Arctic
  • environment where magnetic interference
  • and extreme weather degrade traditional
  • radar performance. This capability
  • becomes critical. The Grippen can track
  • cruise missiles and bombers from long
  • range, share realtime data with
  • groundbased air defense units, and even
  • intercept hypersonic missiles launched
  • from northern Russia. a threat the F-35
  • was designed to penetrate, not
  • intercept. Low costs also deliver a
  • strategic advantage. Few people
  • recognize training capacity. Canadian
  • pilots can accumulate six times more
  • flight training hours on the same
  • budget. That means a more experienced
  • air force, faster response times, and
  • higher combat readiness. Geopolitically,

  • 9:02
  • the impact goes even deeper. If Canada
  • chooses the Grippen, they'll become the
  • first NATO country to publicly reject

  • 9:10
  • Could this deal still collapse — or is it already too late?
  • the F-35 after signing the initial
  • contract. This isn't just a procurement
  • decision. It's a declaration of
  • strategic independence. Ottawa is
  • sending a message. Alliance
  • relationships don't mean technological
  • dependence. NORAD can operate
  • effectively even if Canada and the US
  • don't fly the same aircraft. And most
  • importantly, national security can't be
  • sacrificed to political pressure from
  • Washington. The Pentagon's response
  • shows they understand this message loud
  • and clear. US defense officials have
  • contacted Ottawa directly demanding a
  • reassessment of the decision. Some
  • members of Congress have even proposed
  • trade retaliation if Canada pulls out of
  • the F-35 program. But the data doesn't
  • lie. And Ottawa now has a report proving
  • that choosing the Grippin isn't
  • betraying an ally. It's protecting

  • 10:02
  • sovereignty. So what's really happening
  • here? Canada isn't choosing the the
  • cooler or more advanced fighter jet.

  • 10:10
  • Final verdict: the future of Canada’s air power in the Arctic.
  • They're choosing the fighter jet that
  • can actually defend the Arctic. And
  • that's a distinction Washington can't
  • accept. The 27.7 billion F-35 contract
  • isn't just collapsing. It's becoming
  • irrelevant to Canada's actual defense
  • strategy. The green delivers what Ottawa
  • actually needs. Better performance in
  • Arctic environments, lower costs for
  • sustained operations, superior dispersal
  • and readiness capabilities, and most
  • critically, Arctic resilience. While the
  • F-35 needs billions in infrastructure to
  • operate, the Grippen just needs a
  • highway stretch and a fiveperson crew.
  • While the F-35 flies a few dozen hours
  • per month due to high costs, the Grippen
  • can maintain daily patrols. While the
  • F-35 concentrates at major bases, the

  • 11:01
  • Grind can disperse across Arctic
  • territory, turning every small community
  • into a potential defense point. Canada
  • now controls Arctic skies, not through
  • the most cuttingedge technology, but
  • through the smartest choice. And the
  • remaining question isn't why did Canada
  • choose the Grippen, it's how many other
  • NATO countries will follow. As F-35
  • costs continue rising as technical
  • issues remain unresolved and as Arctic
  • threats become clearer, Ottawa's
  • decision could be the starting point of
  • a larger reassessment wave within NATO.
  • The Pentagon knows this. That's why
  • they've gone silent. This video contains
  • analysis compiled from publicly
  • available sources. It does not contain
  • classified information or official views
  • of any government or organization. All
  • references to countries, corporations,
  • or individuals are for illustrative
  • purposes regarding economic and
  • political context.


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