Singapore down selects three fighters...

It's for the same reason that people shouldn't use Microsoft
software while they continue to attempt to lock-in their customers:
because every purchase carries a hidden cost of forcing the customer
to purchase again from the same supplier.

Yep! No technology lock-in using say Sun Solaris or HP/UX is there? If I use
Windows I can get top of the line hardware from HP (Compaq), Dell , IBM,
Gateway and who knows how many others. I can switch to another OS such as
Red Hat Linux. If I use a proprietary Unix solution I will also be using a
proprietary hardware platform. Twice the technology lock-in for the price.

Of course no European company would be guilty of that now would they.

"The war with Boeing will continue to intensify until Airbus has 100 percent
of the worldwide commercial market" Former Airbus Industrie Managing
Director Jean Pierson 1992.