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How many “new” partners did the F-35 win over? There are lots of countries using the F-16/18 etc. I think there were even times the US had a conflict where the
by wil421 4y ago
How many “new” partners did the F-35 win over? There are lots of countries using the F-16/18 etc. I think there were even times the US had a conflict where the adversary had US fighters.
- dirtyid 4y agoFair point, but IMO increased dependancy is more about joint developement and getting level 1/2/3 partners emeshed into the program's supply chain. Side effect is tying up development resources in partner programs while undermining other competing programs. Hollowing out foreign competitors also benefits F16/18 exports due to lack of viable gen4/4.5 alternatives. Maybe that was inevitable due to US tech leadership, but I think the geoeconomics is a big reason why F35 is "successful" regardless of technical merits. At minimum DRM means US won't ever fight adversary F35s.