With Gripen it knows what it faces in theater. If Argentina goes elsewhere it becomes a crapshoot, especially if it goes Chinese. I don’t think the U.S. would allow it to go for Chinese or Russian aircraft and arms without some sort of intercession.

Why couldn’t Argentina go F-50 and work with Brazil on a common logistics? No reason an F-50 option couldn’t be pursued. They still need ordnance and a more localized service depot for the engine. It’s a shame GD never pushed a lower priced version of F-CK-1 for international customers.

The wing looks out of proportion to the body and the engines look under proportioned to the overall size.

AMX is unnecessary once Gripen is built in sufficient numbers. And if Sea Gripen happens then they can retire their older navy jets, too. I don’t see all the fuss. Even if Sao Pablo operates without fast jets it can be a mobile disaster support platform that doubles as both humanitarian aid staging point and hospital ship. Aircraft carriers aren’t all about bombing targets and defending surface fleets.

I guess it boils down to what they could live without, SpudmanWP. Could they have used COTS systems to rush the early baseline airframe out? Cut out the EODAS for F-22’s MAWS. Link16 rather than MADL. Rather than the fancy helmet tied to the EOTS and EODAS systems use one out at the time. Focus on AIM-120, internal cannon, and SDB. Focus on LO rather than maximum level VLO standard. Regress to F119 that was already flying Getting out a less complicated Block 1.0 F-35A before the F-35B would have made sense.

If F-35 had been modular from the start, easing the gee whiz standards to first push out a working airframe without all the gizmos ready at IOC, Canada probably would have had impetus to buy a less perfect plane. It’s probably good for Canada to have the process protracted. It’s certainly by manufacturer design to keep these projects protracted.

Boeing probably could have been a better competitor. If it wasn’t for trying to ram a USN jet down everyone’s throats they might have sold something more in the long run. But Boeing decided to go for the money grab by getting involved in subcontracting LockMart’s work and becoming rather uncompetitive so as to not hurt JSF sales.

I thought they were inactive beginning in 2009.

Well, “destroy it to save it” failed.