Czech ranking

On Dec 1 he czech evaluation team ranked the Gripen first for their fighter procurment program, followed by the Belgian F-16 and the Canadian F/A-18. Lokheed was quick with their answering statement:

“LM supports all three F-16 offers including the Belgian MLU one that the Evaluation Committee placed in the 2nd position. The Committee considered some very narrow aspects involved with an interim fighter solution. But taking in consideration other aspects such as combat proven capability, known operating costs, the advantages of a purchase vs. lease, and strategic aspects like NATO partnership and EU/US relations, we believe the Belgian F-16 offer is the best choice for the Czech Republic.”

It’s up to the politicians to make the final decision, and they certainly will feel more pressure from the US to “decide smartly”.

This might sound cynical now, but I wonder how much the crash of the Belgian F-16 will affect A) the Belgian offer (do they have enough planes to replace the two and B) the Czech decision, as it seems that the crash record of the F-16 doesn’t look very good.