Today, much focus goes into the development and spread of new lightweight multirole fighter aircraft –e.g., the JF-17 Thunder, the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas, and, eventually, the Turkish Aerospace Industries Hürjet.
Why?
Because these fighters present cost-sensitive countries with new, modern air warfare capabilities at price points that are markedly lower than the top-of-the-line products available on the defence export market, such as the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, or even new-built F-16 Block-70/72.
Not only that, but some of the current lightweight fighter options – most notably the JF-17 – are basically free of various supply-side restrictions. In fact, the JF-17 in particular is largely isolated from Western and, especially, American restrictions (at least from a technical standpoint).
Thus, the combination of cost-flexibility and/or supplier-flexibility makes these lightweight fighters strong options for many countries, especially in the developing world.
If options were limited to new-built aircraft for cost-sensitive and/or geo-politically challenged countries, then the lightweight fighter designs offer a viable pathway to modernization.
However, in this backdrop, used F-16s could deliver a unique proposition.
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