F-16 Ping.
“Lockheed has produced over 4,500 F-16s since the program began in 1975, making the F-16 the best-selling fighter jet in history.”
Unless of course, you count 5000+ F-4 Phantoms, 9800 F-86s, 12,000 factory and 6000 license built MiG-15s,,,
I worked on the F16. Well I draphed schematics, we were only doing certain parts, seperated in rooms - silly really
What a great craft
vs the F-35, the 16 is faster, accelerates harder, carries a much better load, and is much cheaper.
The F-35 is a moonpig foisted upon us with the claim of stealth covering its shortfalls. Nobody wants to buy it unless we stronger them and refuse them the F-22. We can’t hardly give it away. The world beat the door down to buy 16s.
While stealth is useful in a sense, its insane to buy a 25 or 30 year airframe based upon that. Stealth planes aren’t invisible. The radar “sees” them, but is unable to recognize them for what they are at that moment. It’s a dead certainty that the F-35 stealth will be unlocked by better computing power that is still growing at an exponential rate. Then there will be a fleet of moonpigs with low loads, low performance, and their only attribute stripped.
The F-16 still rules.
“They are also pursuing additional orders and upgrades in the Middle East, South America and other markets that would keep the line running through 2020.”
I dunno. I suspect the F-16 could be available for a time well after that seeing as how the F-35 is a vastly more advanced aircraft and plenty of the world’s remaining air forces will not be looking to take on such a task and cost. I don’t see countries like Ecuador or Mexico or Thailand Malaysia jumping up to buy F-35s in 2020. There will need to be another option beside the F-35....maybe Super Hornet, maybe Rafale, maybe Typhoon, maybe Gripen, maybe future small Russian fighter, and, the JF-17.
That's quite a few years into the future. How can they say with any reasonable certainty what their costs will be?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
*wheeze* *wheeze* *wheeze*
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
The one thing I can guarantee is that prices for the flying anvil will NOT go down.
