Canada buys Mirage 4000

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Even when the CAF bought CF-18 fighters, a huge part of the deal was over-hauls done by Canadair.

That was a sweetheart deal. Hawker-Siddeley had the equipment and the ability, but were located out west. Canadair had nothing to offer, but location, location, location.
 
To be fair politics is often the most important factor in any giant defence purchase, it says a lot about who your allies are, what your industrial capabilities and policies are and the like. Given that Mirage 2000 is about as lethal as all of its western contemporaries it doesn't really matter about the importance of politics, indeed good politics can avoid capability shortfalls like Israel suffered for much of its existence.
 
Agreed!
... trying not to mangle Clauswitz's concept too badly.
Defence purchases are just an extension of politics.
Quebec separating was the greatest threat to Canada during the last half-century.
Since 1960, (Quiet Revolution) there have been few external military threats to Canada. OTOH Quebec Separatist politicians and terrorists tried to rip the country apart.
Ottawa responded with many concessions. The first concession was bilingualism in all the federal government bureaucracy.
The second was billions of dollars in transfer payments , shifting tax dollars to poorer provinces.
Thirdly, Quebec got a disproportionately large number of high-profile federal
government contracts: naval helicopters built in Saint Hubert, army trucks built in Valcourt, fighter planes built in Montreal, ships built in Levi's, etc.
Buying votes worked well in the long run, because the (separatist) Parti Quebecois collapsed during the last election.
Meanwhile the Bloc Québécois (federal party) steadfastly continues its mission by ensuring that a disproportionately large number of defence contracts go to companies based in Quebec.
Returning to the OP's question: Mirages might have been good for the Canadian Air Force, but only if some parts were built in Quebec, specifically Canadair because Canadair had all the huge, shiny tools, but most importantly because Canadair is in Quebec and its is easy to buy votes in Quebec.
 

Archibald

Banned
What I like in this scenario of Canada buying 4000s is how close from the mythical Arrow is Dassault fighter.
 
What I like in this scenario of Canada buying 4000s is how close from the mythical Arrow is Dassault fighter.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there.

If it was a TL where Canada had maintained defence spending at 1950s levels so: the RCAF had been maintained at 60,000 personnel and 33 fighter squadrons (inc 12 RCAuxAF); the Arrow wasn't cancelled; and then as I suggested in the TSR2/Arrow thread it replaced the Starfighter with TSR2.

Then Canada and France build the Mirage 4000 as a collaborative project. The former buys it as a replacement for the Arrow and TSR2.
 
I think the biggest problem with Canwanks is the lack of threat. Sure the Soviets are up there in the frozen north, but they're more interested in the US than Canada which is why Canada could get away with its OTL defence posture.
 
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