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Originally Posted by dragoon500ly
While I do acknowledge the special realitionship inbetween the US and the UK. Look at the strategic situation. With Greek and Turkey going at it, the US has always tended to favor Turkey to an extent, they are, after all, the USs oldest Middle Eastern ally. So the shipment of F-16s to Turkey, especially to counterbalance a communist Greece would go through.
South Korea, especially being so near to major Soviet air and naval bases, is another country bady needing modern aircraft. I feel a good argument could be made to dispatch F-16s to the ROKAF.
With Egypt, especially during this time frame, being very friendly to the US, as well as controlling the vital choke point of the Suez Canal and with the worsening situation in Iraq/Syria from the RDF Sourcebook might receive their F-16s, if only to help reinforce Saudi Arabia.
This would leave the Bahrain order and what was delivered of the Pakistan order (airframes pulled into depot level maintenance and brought up to C/D standards. With 22 on order and 28 on hand, this may give the RAF 2-3 squadrons to replace the Phantom force with.
But then there is the additional problem of a line in RDF concerning air battles with Iranian F-16s........ 
One really gets the idea that General Dynamics went to a 24/7 work week with four shifts running! |
I don't think Iran ever got any F-16s in realy life or T2K. But certainly Turkey, Egypt and South Korea will continue to get US military supplies, but in the context of US priorities they are not going to be getting real world peacetime orders of F-16C Block 40/50s, which in T2K are going to go staight to frontline USAF squadrons and key allies. They might get a some F-16C's, but more likely will be offered refurbished F-16A's from the Air National Guard or even some F-4s and F5s.
Egypt, Turkey and South Korea are all important to the US in their own way, but in the context of America's relationship with Britain each of these countries are just not as important for a number of reasons.
Britain is an indepenent nuclear power with its own nuclear arsenal and nuclear weapons industry, and that on its own makes Britain a far more important ally.
Britain's military is of more importance and use to the US than either Turkey, Egypt or South Korea. Its ground and air forces are the key component of NORTHAG and the defence of Northern Germany, Denmark and Norway, and its mobile reactions forces are the best and largest of the European NATO countries. British air bases and British surveillance and communications resources are highly important to the US, and critically important to the US for the defence of Western Europe. Britain also has the second most powerful navy in the western world, with its own fleet of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, and at this time had the best anti-submarine warfare capability in the world. It would be of critical importance to the defence of US arms shipments and reinforcements across the Atlantic, and in destroying Soviet SSBNs.
Britain's military and intelligence community is far closer to America than Egypt and Turkey, and despite the large US commitment to the defence of South Korea, the Koreans don't have anywhere near the influence of Britain outside of the Far East or with Washington.
Britain is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its relationship with Australia, Canada and New Zealand is probably even closer than their relations with the US. Britain also has close links with many African and Asian countries, and the nations of the Indian sub-Continent which transends East-West rivalry.
Britain has territories and military bases across the world which are important to the US, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Diego Garcia and Hong Kong, as well as others which are maybe of not so much importance such as Ascension Island, Bermuda, the Falklands etc.
Today and probably in the 1990's Britain had the second largest defence industry in the Western world after America. It can build and design everthing from its own fighter jets, to tanks and nuclear submarines, and along with France it is the least dependent on US technology. The defence industries and technology of Turkey and South Korea just don't compare, while Egypt's is non-discript.