and the Dutch/Scandinavian countries have yet to start cutting their defence budgets, which they will

One big reason why Norway buys the F-35 is to keep exporting arms to US forces.

They exports arms for 350-500 million USD a year, around half of it to the US. (E.g. Protector CROWS.) You’re looking at sales contracts from 2012 throughout the service life of the F-35. Continued re-signing of such contracts pretty much depends on Norway buying the F-35.

The only alternative is Super Hornets or new F-16s, though that’s extremely unlikely.

Well those statistics don’t tell the whole story – see how Germany is #3 on that list?

Not that these statistics tell the whole story either, but they may help in painting a bigger picture:

http://elibrary-data.imf.org/FindDataReports.aspx?d=33120&e=169311

http://www.financialsense.com/contributors/leslie-cuadra/2011/08/31/list-of-worlds-largest-creditor-and-debtor-nations

Yep. The F414 produces a bit more trust than the EJ200 and Volvo has an existing relationship with General Electric. From a technical standpoint the GE F400 series and the EJ200 series are basically interchangeable. If a customer insisted on a Gripen NG or Super Hornet with a EJ230/270 (if they ever get funded) or a Typhoon with a F414 it would be an non-issue from an engineering standpoint. There might be some political reservations, but it could be done fairly easily.

Agree the F414 is the best fit for Gripen NG.
Minor nitpick; Had a quick peek at the GE and RR websites, the F404/414 (35in diameter) is fatter than the EJ200 (29in) so I’m not sure here’s enough space to fit them in a Typhoon. /End nitpick.

Ah, I was referring to USS Missouri actually being hit by a few rounds when USS Jarret’s Phalanx fired upon the former’s chaff cloud. Some sources claim a sailor was hit by shrapnel, but suffered no grave injury. Edited now for clarification.

http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-103.htm

I do agree the plot is exceedingly silly. (I don’t think we were supposed to take it seriously.) The stripper thing – If you’re thinking of music videos with lightly dressed American females, there’re plenty French equivalents…

In general, the whole “Frogs don’t care for Yanks” thing is mostly a myth. Geopolitics is what it is (2003 war in Iraq), and most people are able to keep that separate from their opinions of American non-political culture, which most French are quite fond of, be it Robert Frost or Quentin Tarantino. Andre Agassi is a big star in France. (Among those who were around when he was active.)

BTW, the movie U571 rewrites history in that it portrays a British WWII exploit, except it replaces the Brits with Americans. Does that mean it’s anti-British?
On that note, Tom Cruise deserves praise for making a WWII movie with only German characters. As does Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima.

Going by numbers produced means no contest for the MiG-21.

I was referring to the Euro situation, not the Falklands.

I know. They’re not “stirring up anti-British sentiment” there either. Criticising Cameron is a different matter. And not all French/German media are pro-Sarkozy/Merkel.

So is the French and German media…that doesn’t mean they’re going to attack. 🙂

Where is the French and German media stirring up anti-British sentiment? :rolleyes: