Arellanes.com

Gripens vs. F-16s

The Czech government is dead set on buying fighter jets, even though they're expensive and unnecessary in a NATO that's trying to focus on rapid deployment and peacekeeping.

They've scaled back their original plans to buy new jets, and are looking to buy used ones, either US-built F-16s or Swedish-British Gripens. But now the Swedes are offering new Gripens for the price of the old ones, České noviny reports. Why, they're practically givin' em away!

I decided to ask Barney W. Greinke, this blog's military affairs analyst, which he would choose. His response:

I think the only F-16 you want nowadays is the superdooper ones we sold
to Dubai. I think it was Dubai. They got this badass radar in 'em that
makes them unlike just about anything in the sky (well, except for some
F-15s in Alaska). It's especially important to have a good radar if
you're a small country and you don't have your own AWACS or JSTARS to
tell you where to go blow shit up and shoot people down.

So, if I gotta choose between some used F-16s and some newer Gripens,
I'd go Gripen. It's probably got a better chance than those older F-16s
of knocking down Slovak barbarians in their MiG-29s.

Barney's in California, and is also looking to buy a big-ass classic American station wagon. One requirement, though:

Must have tailgunner seat.
Must have tailgunner seat.
Must have tailgunner seat.

Anybody able to help?

Posted by douglas at November 4, 2003 03:31 PM | TrackBack