January 22, 2004 at 8:23 am
Alot of time is spent on this forum talking about how great the latest jet trainers are, but the fact is noone is buying them. Not the Mig-AT, T-50, Hawk, nothing. And there is a huge need for jet trainers in almost every country in the world, but with todays budget constraints, theyre not even keeping up to date with fighters. Its very obvious that any country wanting to buy these advanced trainers would use them in combat, but their price/performance is just to close to the actual fighters. There needs to be real low cost fighter alternatives. Even though modern advanced trainers have a relatively cheap buy in cost, they are expensive to operate and need very high skilled maintenaince. I think if the F-5 were put back into production, it would sell very well to meet this low cost need. For example in the thread about russian AF deterioration, even a country like russia with vast oil reserves just can afford to keep highly sufisticated and expensive jets like the su-27 in the air, its just too much. Many countrys in Latin America, Africa and Asia would be able to make sizeable purchases instead of just buys a handfull of state of the art FBW jets. I think india also could see the Jaguar to meet this demand. And I know it sounds rediculas, but even the old Folland Gnat I think has potecial for providing cheap flying time for AFs and has decent home defence capablility. In a dogfight, a Gnat can defend itself against anything.