I don’t think EF2000 is a stopgap measure at all.

No US needs something to make up the numbers to replace all the F-16s and A10s in USAF and F-18s and Harriers for USN and USMC, ok so USAF has te F-22 in extremely smaller numbers to replace F-15s and F-16s, but what about USMC and USN? USMC needs anything to replace the F-18s and Harrier in the future and USN needs to relace F-18s, theres no F-22 there.

Also think about all the countries that need an F-16 replacement, and those already in the program.

Not only you’d have to pay those countries a lot of money back but you’d be screwing up your own military. Like I said there is nothing to replace all those F-18s, Harriers and A10s and other aircraft.

Srbin,
As usual your comments don’t surprise me. I guess the JSF partners should get Flankers….I’m sure that would be your idea as a good replacement….

Do you realize how big this project is? Of course it’s going to be expensive. USAF, USMC, USN, RA, FAA are only the BEGINNING users. The are a TON of other prospective operators wanting the plane.

The comments I’m seeing in this thread make me so mad I can’t even see straight.

Actually no, I don’t think they would. If they are willing to wait till 2015 to get their first JSFs and if they are willing to get the severly downgraded ones then they cna get it but if they don’t want to they can get something like Rafale or Typhoon, and why do you assume I would suggest a Flanker? I am not pro Russian as you think. I say what I think is right

Now as for your statement on the JSF, I completely agree, I think at the end of the day JSF will be a big success, and this is just the beggining. I think they can cure those weight penalties, I am sure they’ll find a way.

what about Harpoon? Is it wired for that?

probably be cheaper to buy

What are you basing that on?

I can’t believe you aren’t suggesting they buy Flankers. 🙂

And why retire the F-4’s when you’re putting them through an extensive upgrade program? The Phantom 2020 (they’ve apparently dropped the Terminator nickname)isn’t exactly your daddy’s F-4….

And the F-16’s? What’s wrong with them?

What did I ever say about Flankers?

Anyways, it’s up to them, but if they buy F-35/EF2000(either of them) then they would keep both F-4s and F-16s? I don’t know of the Turkish AF can run all that, I mean they would probably retire F-4s before F-16s but didn’t think they’d keep F-4s that long!

hmmm, I think polticially for them it would be better buying the Eurofighter than F-35, not to mention it would come much earlier and would probably be cheaper to buy. Don’t forget Turkey would get the highly downgraded JSF version. I think retire F-4s and older types and buy EF2000s and retire the oldest F-16s and keep the newest ones.

FC-1 probably has far by the best chance of best export success out of any other lighter fighter. LCA will not be readier faster than FC-1 and it will probably be more expensive, F-50 is the right thing but the biggest problem with it is that all that American stuff in it, like avionics, weapons(major) and engine, so therefore would require American permission.

As for F-16, well if you can get used ones for free then good but if you have to buy then forget it, used F-16A/Bs should cost anywhere around 8-10mn but they are still used, so I’d rather get a brand new FC-1 for anywhere from 13-15mn.

J-10 seems also to be a good option if it’s gona cost around 25-29mn, it would be a pretty good plane for export if it is like that.

Forget Gripen(too expensive to buy for smaller nations+American engine), T/F-50(American stuff in it), Mig-29(too expensive to maintain), F-16(too expensive to buy and used ones are not worth it), Mirage-2000(too expensive to buy)

So therefore FC-1 is pretty much the only one left, if countries are friendly with US and can get JDAM and AIM-120 with F-50, then they should go for it.

I also don’t know the exact cost of F-50 or what it will be, but if it is over anything like 25mn, then forget F-50, go for FC-1 or J-10.