F-20 sees service along with the F-16

MacCaulay

Banned
The South Africans didn't have BVRs either, and Botswana was rather poor in the mid 1980s. Sidewinders, preferably all-aspect ones, would be all they needed. The South Africans only had the Kukris, remember.

Well, that was part of the reason the US held off on selling AMRAAMs to the Australians for their Hornets. They didn't want to be introducing them into the area. The logic was that if they sold them to the RAAF, then the Indonesians would buy the equivalent from Russia or China for their MiG 29s.
 
Indo doesn't have Mig29s, they looked like buying 6 Su27s in 1997 but the Asian financial crisis hit and these were cancelled and they now look like getting a small sqn. Malaysia bought Mig 29s, but didn't get the long range AAMs initially.

BTW, don't put too much stock in the US not selling Australia stuff for fear of introducing it into the region. We were the first to have BVR weapons in 1985 so the precedent was well and truly set, and if the US gets touchy we can always go to Europe.
 
I wish the F-20 had made it into service somewhere. Such a cool-looking plane.

Perhaps there is a reason for the USAF to have the F-20 as a backup to the F-16? Or for some reason have the USA desire a trio of modern fighters, F-15, F-16, and F-20, rather than the pair of F-15 and F-16.

The best way to do that might be to have the McDonnell Douglas, General Dynamics, and Northrup have their fighter factories in seperate congressional districts that belong to powerful congressmen.
 
Well, Chuck Yeager was a spokesman for the F-20, even after the original got cancelled. (He did put it in his simulators...)
 
As for selling stuff to the Australians it should be noted that it was Australia which bought the F-111. The Australians also latter puchased the F/A-18 as they preferred a twin engine fighter for the same reason that the US Navy does. Australia has also expressed a desire to purchase some of the F-22 Raptors ( I still think that Lockheed should have kept the original name for the F-22 The Lighting).
 
If the F-20 entered mass production then it is quite possible that a lot of countries that operated the F-5 might have purchased the F-20 insted of the F-16. Thus it is possible that countries such as Brazil, Chile, Columbia , Venezuela , Portugal, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand and Canada might have opted for the F-20. Whether the USAF would have gone with the F-20 when the F-16 won the contract is another question. It is possible that a limited number of the aircraft might have been purchased for Aggressor Squadrons for Red Flag. The USAF was committed to purchases of the F-15 and the less expensive F-16 so it is doubtful if there would have been enough spare cash in the Air Force Budget to fund the purchase of 2-300 F-20 unless there was a reduction it the purchase of the F-16.
 
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