How to ruin an F-16? (Closed)

[Treachery]

Iraq wants to buy 36 U.S. F-16 fighters. Older models can be had for under $50 million each, while the latest versions go for about $75 million. It would take at least five years to train Iraqi pilots and ground crews to effectively use and maintain such aircraft. Even then, there will probably be problems. The historical experience has been that, in Arab countries, buying such high tech warplanes, run into personnel problems. Pilots are often selected more for their loyalty to the government, than for their flying skills. Ground crew jobs pay well, and are sometimes given out at gifts to loyal supporters of whoever is running the government at the moment. As a result, the high-tech aircraft tend to be flown by substandard pilots, and not available for operations (because of poor maintenance) as much as in Western air forces.

The U.S. government has to approve this purchase which, given the recession going on in the United States, may be difficult to turn down.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20080907.aspx

[Treachery]

Looks like as long as the Iraqis are turning out budget surplus and folks at LM are happy about the negotiated price per unit et al, the deal will go through.

[nevidimka]

It looks like US "forced peace" on Iraq and changed it overnight into a US arms client state. More money for the big defence cooperation back home.
LOL!.

[Feanor]

There is another thread about this. Oh and Saudis have a capable airforce. They buy modern planes and operate them. Sort of shatters your logic doesn't it?

[otester]

There is another thread about this. Oh and Saudis have a capable airforce. They buy modern planes and operate them. Sort of shatters your logic doesn't it?

Also doesn't SA have crews trained by us, so even if most-loyal Iraqis were chosen; they would still be trained to a high standard?

[Type59]

Example of how to ruin a thread!

Come on Strategypage. They label Arabs as Sub Human. I wonder what they say about Black Africans?

If that article reflects your personal opinion you need to stick to strategy page forum. You might be confortable in a like minded environment.

[eaf-f16]

Iraq wants to buy 36 U.S. F-16 fighters. Older models can be had for under $50 million each, while the latest versions go for about $75 million. It would take at least five years to train Iraqi pilots and ground crews to effectively use and maintain such aircraft. Even then, there will probably be problems. The historical experience has been that, in Arab countries, buying such high tech warplanes, run into personnel problems. Pilots are often selected more for their loyalty to the government, than for their flying skills. Ground crew jobs pay well, and are sometimes given out at gifts to loyal supporters of whoever is running the government at the moment. As a result, the high-tech aircraft tend to be flown by substandard pilots, and not available for operations (because of poor maintenance) as much as in Western air forces.

The U.S. government has to approve this purchase which, given the recession going on in the United States, may be difficult to turn down.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20080907.aspx

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are Arab countries and all three have well trained pilots operating high-tech Western warplanes. And Jordan (which is monarchy and has incentive to hire only loyal idiots) has historically been one of the best air forces in the Middle East. Syrian pilots during 70's also had good reputation. Really, what damaged the reputation of Arab air forces so badly was the Egyptian Air Force's bad performance in the 1967 war and so-called "war of attrition". But this has less to do with genetics and more to do with the ineptitude of the military leadership and the culture of the time.

[SABRE]

Thread Locked!


Reasons:

> There already is a thread on Iraq buying F-16s.
> The name of the thread is just to amateurish.
> Discussion is heading towards flames.
> Thread has kind of a racist element to it, which will not be tolerated at all.


Please restraint from opening clone threads, similar threads, threads with tendency for flaming & with racist elements.