Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!godot!ima!haddock!stevel From: stevel@haddock.UUCP Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Re: Yet more on the B-1B and F-20 Message-ID: <240@haddock.UUCP> Date: Sun, 7-Oct-84 23:43:08 EDT Article-I.D.: haddock.240 Posted: Sun Oct 7 23:43:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 9-Oct-84 19:40:32 EDT Lines: 0 Nf-ID: #R:hou4b:-117800:haddock:9800008:000:1050 Nf-From: haddock!stevel Oct 6 23:08:00 1984 The FX fighter program was suppose to be the ONLY fighter many of our allies could buy. Then along came people demanding and getting exceptions. At this point anybody can buy the F-16A fighter, all you have to do is demand it. The Air Force will not consider looking at the F-20. The office that is suppose to know about it says they don't, even though the person in charge of the office has flown one. See New York Times Magazine for all the details. If anyone wants to know the issue drop me a line, they are all at home and I am at work. The whole situation is very much like the P-51 in WWII. North American built it for the British with an Allison engine. It did okay but was no wonder plane. A couple of people at a British air base in England stuck a Merlin engine inside and presto super plane. When England said they wanted to buy them with the Merlin, with lend lease money, the US said we don't make one like that you can't have it. This was the US army saying NO. The F-20 is dying the same type of death. The Air Force is saying NO.