"Thomas Schoene" wrote in message
link.net...
The Raven wrote:

snip

I left out a word here, so let me clarify. There is a lot of reluctance
to
buy warplanes not in service with the builder's own national miliary. No
one wants to buy a *US-built* fighter not in service with the US military.
Nor do they want a European plane not flying with a European air force
first. And so forth.

For examples,
see the F-20 and F-18L.

OK, that's two.

Well, for a counterexample, find me any example of a successful export of
a
fighter aircraft post WW2 where some version of the same aircraft was not
in
service with the building country's own armed forces. AFAIK, the only one
that even comes close is the F-5, which was never an operational fighter
for
the USAF. But it was designed in an era when front-line US hardware was
not
available to many buyers.

Actually, the F-5 had a brief, limited scope sort-of-operational period with
the USAF in Vietnam--ISTR the program was called Skoshi Tiger (don't hold me
to the spelling).

Brooks

snip