Since the F-16XL was supposed to retain its lightweight appeal it would never have been in the class of a twin engine fighter plane like the Hornet, Mirage 4000, or EFA. But the difference between the fighters was probably not enough to justify all the extra expense in infrastructure and labour.

Don’t forget that the Rafale emerged out of a more conservative approach to the Mirage 4000, with the addiiton of new technology in affordable measures. I can’t imagine the Mirage 4000 being better than the Rafale in any way but perhaps maximum takeoff weight.

Russia should mobilize all their tanks and planes from storage so they can burn all that extra gas they are exporting for cash. That would send the West a message he’s serious. Oh, wait, the Chinese and Europeans are the ones buying up that excess right now… awwww, the good ole days when the world was dysfunctional.

There must of been some merit in the design as the Tejas uses some of the same essential ideas.

I would think the plane was underpowered for its wing area. If they’d moved to a single F101 or – better yet – a pair of F404’s it might have passed muster.

Forgive him, english is not his first language. I do like his research skills in a lot of threads.

If it hadn’t been for the oil crunch at the time it would of been affordable. Think of world events at the time that thwarted its introduction.

The USAF was and still to a very limited extent an operator of F-5’s, it just never used them in tactical squadrons.

Nobody said F-5’s were MiG-23’s main threat, in fact nobody even said anything remotely to that fact.

Second, Vietnam inherited some F-5A’s, F-5B’s, and just under a dozen converted F-5A’s that were given temporary F-5C designations. The difference from the A- to C- model was an inflight refuelling probe, armor on the underside, a targeting sight for help in aiming freefall bombs, and the ability to drop external fuel tanks. The F-5E missed the Vietnam war, not entering service until it was too late.

edit: In F-5 Tigers Over Vietnam by Anthony J. Tambini, he said that F-5E’s were actually being used in Vietnam, 27 captured, and nine later used for the defense of the capital city of Hanoi because they were the most sophisticated aircraft they could muster.