' Wrote:Hmm, note that US exports like this tend to be surpassed by the craft they use in their own forces.
I would personally sell inferior gear to potential future threats. Makes sense to me.
They might be surpassed by the very latest and greatest craft in the US military, but their aren't actually that many of them out there.
Take the F-16. Its replacement is out, but just barely. And other countries, such as Australia, are already lobbying to be sold some. And as of 2006, the plan was to only have 183 F-22's, at 336 million a piece. There have been 4300 F-16's built, half of which are for the USA. So that means the USA still has 1900 or more F-16's still in service, while they are selling them to almost anyone, including countries like Turkey.
Hmm, where have I come? Why does it seem so familiar to this one?