Originally posted by AinuMan
not by much , you seem to know the stats on this, post them up, fuel rates, maintenance costs, etc. If you can do this, then you will have a very strong arguement, other wise it’s just speculation.

I can throw that one right back at you, if you are so sure that a T-50 or F-16 maintanaince cost and complexity are the same as the F-5, please go ahead and post some stats proving that. I actually do recall reading some matenaince hour numbers that compared older jets like the F-5 to modern jets like an F-16, and they were not even close(I wouldnt know where to find these kind of stats on the net). The F-5 is just rediculasly cheap to operate. The T-50 is not just an up to date F-5, it uses airframe technologys that are completely different to conventional airframe technology. Your average airport airframe mechanic would not have any problem working on an F-5. An F-16/T-50 would require highly specifac training.

Originally posted by WACHENR0DER
I noticed you have a thing for the F-5, and I agree that it is quite a fighter and ideal for nations that can’t afford much..

however in this day and age.. I believe the T-50/A-50 is the closest thing to it.. after all the fighter variant of the Golden Eagle is intended to replace South Korean F-5s.. and among western supersonic fighters, it probably is the cheapest new build. Of course, it would meet stiff competition from an even cheaper FC-1.

Korea is a wealthy nation that is preparing to buy a large number of either F-15s, rafales or typhoons. So from their perspective, yes, the T-50 is very close to what the F-5 was for them. This is not true for poorer under developed nations that simply want to maintain a decent size force, and be able to operate it at useful levels. Countries in Latin America for example simply are not going to buy and operate T-50s as a frontline fighter. The F-16 costs just a bit more, so they would opt for F-16s. But F-16s and T-50s are to expensive and complicated to operate which is why Chile could only buy 10 F-16s.

Originally posted by WACHENR0DER
Could you add some more detail in this? such as examples of modern LIFT jets..

What you quoted was a typing mistake. Ive since corrected that mistake on my original post so it agrees with the rest of what I said on that post. And I will repeat: modern LIFT jets are cheap to purchase, but expensive and complicated to maintain.

Someone posted about that polish mini-advanced trainer then deleted it, so I cant quote the post. But I would like to mention that if that thing ever gets FBW, it might be considered for high AOA flight manuever training by AFs that have FBW fighters. I dont believe that trainer has combat capability which is a minus.

troung- If you measure success of a trainer by how many current operators it has, then the T-37 is currently the best selling jet trainer in the world.

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