Quote:
Originally Posted by dragoon500ly
I tried to reason out a logical chain that would allow the RAF to pick up F-16s, but the major problem is this is a bird that the Brits do not fly, have no pilots tried to fly it and no support crew trained to maintain. It is very doubtful that the Falcon would ever serve in the RAF. The needs of the USAF/USMC/USN would almost certainly keep all front-line production for their own use. As one previous poster has noted, the Army seized tanks, certainly aircraft can be seized as well.
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I was thinking about this as well.
In my opinion, there are two factors involved. The first is the increasing global tensions in the first half of the 1990's (I seem to recall there are reference to various bush wars taking place) that culminates in the outbreak of the Sino Soviet War in the summer of 1995 (at least in V1).
The second - and perhaps the critical one for this discussion - is when the Eurofighter can be expected to enter frontline service. The first test aircraft flew on 27 March 1994 and as best as I can tell it was originally scheduled to enter Squadron service sometime in 1997 (before the various delays which RN7 has referred to kicked in and it actually ended up being 2007).
In my opinion valid arguments can be made for the F16 entering RAF service
or valid arguments can be made for Eurofighter entering service sooner. However, I find the idea of
both being in service less likely.
For example (and following a v1 timeline) British forces are placed on full alert after the outbreak of the Sino Soviet War. Perhaps this is what prompts the Ministry of Defence to review its fighter requirements. At that point I think there are two possible scenarios.
1. Eurofighter is on schedule to commence deliveries in 1997 (or possibly even ahead of its RL schedule if we accept that a continuing Cold War may have reduced significantly some of the delays - IRL I understand German Reunification was one of the contributing factors to these delays). That being the case, with Eurofighter eighteen months away, would the RAF opt to acquire - at considerable expense presumably - a Wing of F16's and all the supporting paraphenlia that goes with that and embark on a training programme for the air and ground crews when Eurofighter is scheduled to enter service in eighteen months or less? Ultimately we don't know what the answer would be but I'm inclined to think that the decision would be taken to soldier on with the Phantom / Tornado option bearing in mind the MoD don't have the foresight to know that WW3 will break out the following year (IRL the Phantom was retired in 1992, but I'm suggesting here that it would remain in service until Eurofighter's arrival in service).
2. Eurofighter is
not on schedule to commence deliveries as planned and is going to be delayed by several years (at least). In this scenario then I can see the logic in the Ministry of Defence deciding at that point that soldiering on with Phantoms indefinitely is not an attractive option and opening discussions with the US sometime in 1995 to procure F16's (possibly on some sort of lease basis). Dependent on when the deal is signed this gives the RAF something in the region of a year and a half (maximum) to get their Falcons delivered, carry out the neccessary conversion training and become operational.
So imho I think you can have the RAF operating Falcons or Eurofighters but not both (other than a handful of Eurofighter test planes if you go with the second option).
Cheers