Originally posted by Dubya
But most of the countries you mention are economic basket cases.
I doubt Hungary will acqcuire Russian aircraft – they’ve just gone Gripen.
Bulgaria – a possibility but they A.) Are joining NATO and B.) Probably won’t buy Russian following the MiG-29 overhaul debacle which has probably drained the last of their goodwill.
Slovakia – Have no idea to tell you the truth
Albania – lol!
Ukraine – a possbility for larger numbers if they ever get enough funding
Macedonia – Unlikely – don’t they want to get rid of Su-25’s and concentrate on helo ops?
Serbia – yeah a possibility for small numbers of a/c (24?)
Bolivia – lol – yes they will replace T-33 with 5th generation fighters
Brazil – yes a possibility
Colombia – unlikely – concentration on helo ops and COIN against nasty drug peddling guerillas
Mexico – 12 a/c at most to replace F-5 – this is unlikely too given Mexico’s proximity to the USA and availability of cheap F-16’s.
Two things: We’re not talking about a fifth generation fighter here, rather a cheap late fourth generation one engine point defence sort ot thing. Even “economic basket cases” (they are certainly not a majority on my list as you are implying) might prefer an inexpensive new plane. Countries like S&M, Macedonia and Albania take great pride in their armed forces. They traditionally had quite a big fleet of fighter planes. They might also realize that a new acquisition would be cheaper on the long run than hand downs of various models that require expensive upgrades, logistics, spares and maintenance.
Second: keep the time lapse in mind! We’re talking about eight- ten years from now and more. Some of these “economic basket cases” are likely to experience economic growth in the near future with the EU eastward expansion. They might not be able to opt for either medium or large size models or fifth generation, but a small, inexpensive Mig could be affordable by then. That’s all they need for air policing and self defence.
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