The Czech military has pitched to Defence Minister Peter MacKay the purchase of used fighter aircraft to replace the venerable planes used by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatic team.

According to news media in the Czech Republic, Canada has expressed interest in buying nine L-159 jets, with the Czech Defence Ministry noting that talks between the two countries are just beginning.

MacKay's press secretary Jay Paxton confirmed that an offer of L-159 aircraft had been forwarded to the minister by his Czech counterpart. But Paxton added that "no commitment was made" by MacKay.

The Czech news report indicated it was Canada that first made the overtures about buying the L-159s earlier this year.

Czech defence ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek told the news outlet Euro.cz that talks about the purchase were ongoing, although they were just starting. But Paxton said MacKay has passed the Czech offer on to the Canadian Air Force "and left it at that."

Canada's Defence Department said it could not comment on the Czech report at this time.

Canada's Tutor aircraft used by the Snowbirds are more than 40 years old and concerns have been raised in DND about how long the planes can keep flying safely. The L-159 advanced light combat aircraft is relatively new, with the aircraft delivered to the Czech military between 2000 and 2003.

Euro.cz noted that documents regarding the proposed aircraft purchase were prepared on Sept. 19 for MacKay's office. According to the report, a spokesman for the L-159's manufacturer Aero Vodochody also confirmed there have been talks with Canada about the purchase, but no agreement has been reached.

But Dan Dempsey, a former Snowbirds leader and author of a book on the demonstration team, questioned whether such a purchase would ever take place.

"One of the issues you always have with aerobatic teams is compatibility with other aircraft that you have within your inventory, because of maintenance and spare parts," Dempsey said. "If you take nine stand-alone aircraft of any kind and bring them into the country, you'd have a huge maintenance issue to start with, and you'd have a huge training issue."

He said the Czech proposal was "wishful thinking on someone's part."

Dempsey said it was his understanding that Canada's air force will continue to operate the Snowbirds' Tutors until 2020. In the meantime, it would search for a replacement aircraft.

The Tutor was built by Canadair in the 1960s and the aircraft has become the backbone for the Snowbirds team. The Snowbirds have flown the CT-114 Tutor jet since 1971, according to DND.

But some in the Canadian Forces have questioned whether the Tutors can continue flying over the next several years. "Due to obsolescence issues, in the 2010 time frame, the Tutor will no longer be a viable aircraft for the Snowbirds," an April 2006 briefing note produced by the air force pointed out.

The air force had examined various options, including leasing or buying new aircraft for the Snowbirds. It also looked at, but rejected, a suggestion to substitute the CF-18 fighter aircraft for the Tutors.

Using CF-18s would make it easier for the team to perform around the world, but would reduce their availability for smaller venues in Canada, which have runways too short to accommodate the jets, the air force concluded. In addition, the CF-18s would be 20 times more expensive to operate than the Tutors.

Several years ago, the Czech defence ministry announced it would cut the number of L-159s it operates. Since then, it has tried to interest Colombia, Afghanistan and Bolivia, among others, in purchasing the surplus aircraft.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Czech+jets+touted+Canada+Snowbird+replacement/2097947/story.html

มีข้อมูลจากรัฐมนตรีกลาโหมเชคว่า กองทัพแคนาดามีความสนใจที่จะจัดหา บ.L-159 มือสองจาก เชคจำนวน 9ลำ ซึ่งจะนำมาประจำการในฝูงบินผลาดแผลง Snowbirds

ปัจจุบันฝูงบินผลาดแผลง Snowbirds ประจำการด้วย บ.ฝึกแบบ CT-114 Tutor ซึ่งผลิตมาตั้งแต่ปี 1960s และเข้าประจำการมาตั้งแต่ปี 1971 ซึ่งเครื่องมีอายุการใช้งานนาน
อีกทั้งการเปลี่ยนไปใช้ บ.ที่สมรรถนะสูงกว่าเช่น CF-18 ซึ่งเป็น บ.ขับไล่นั้นก็ไม่เหมาะเนื่องจากมีค่าใช้จ่ายในการปฏิบัติการสูงครับ

อย่างไรก็ตามยังไม่มีการยืนยันครับว่าแคนาดาจะเลือกจัดหา L-159 จากเชคหรือไม่ ก็คาดว่าฝูงบิน Snowbirds น่าจะยังคงประจำการ บ.CT-114 ไปจนถึงราวปี 2010 ครับ