Government procurement projects, especially international ones, aren't a great way to compare things on merit. Take Belgium: Boeing and Saab didn't even bid.

Government procurement projects, especially international ones, aren't a great way to compare things on merit. Take Belgium: Boeing and Saab didn't even bid. Boeing hinted that the program wasn't truly a "level playing field" - and then there were leaks that suggested the Belgian military promised NATO they'd purchase the F-35 years earlier and set the procurement process up to ensure the F-35 would come out on top.