Yes i remember this being one of the louder controversial points when Poland was buying F-16. Polish arms industry is in pretty crappy conditions right now, but it is not entirely demolished yet and have the ability to manufacture wide range of pretty modern equipment, including most parts for fighter planes. Other potential contractors, France and especially Sweden, offered to invest and modernise polish aerial industry so we could manufacture parts, but USA demanded we buy everything there.
Of course Poland bought F-16, but the scandal about the contract terms was quickly eclipsed by USA not even adhereing to its terms (they were supposed to invest some money as an offset, but didn't do it).
Effect: something like 1/3rd of the planes are already cannibalised for parts.
It's cases like these I wonder what sort of backroom deals happen, because most of Europe settled for F16s and F35s (the dual submarine one) when there are perfectly fine planes from neighbours that don't lock you into this nonsense. And at least theirs actually fly.
(they were supposed to invest some money as an offset, but didn’t do it).
Yes i remember this being one of the louder controversial points when Poland was buying F-16. Polish arms industry is in pretty crappy conditions right now, but it is not entirely demolished yet and have the ability to manufacture wide range of pretty modern equipment, including most parts for fighter planes. Other potential contractors, France and especially Sweden, offered to invest and modernise polish aerial industry so we could manufacture parts, but USA demanded we buy everything there.
Of course Poland bought F-16, but the scandal about the contract terms was quickly eclipsed by USA not even adhereing to its terms (they were supposed to invest some money as an offset, but didn't do it).
Effect: something like 1/3rd of the planes are already cannibalised for parts.
It's cases like these I wonder what sort of backroom deals happen, because most of Europe settled for F16s and F35s (the dual submarine one) when there are perfectly fine planes from neighbours that don't lock you into this nonsense. And at least theirs actually fly.
I'm shocked. Literally shaking rn.
The french and Swedish offerings don't perform as well in trials or simulation unfortunately.