Clearly, the American light fighter, designed in the 70s and relentlessly modernized since, has continued to achieve commercial success for a few years. After Taiwan, which wishes to acquire 66 F16Vs, the proposal made to New Delhi to manufacture a hundred F-21s, the final version of the F-16 specially designed for the Indian Air Force, and after having taken control of all the armies of the European air with the exception of the few countries capable of affording aircraft at over € 80m each, it is around Morocco, to prepare to order a new tranche of 25 F16VC / D Block 72 accompanied by the modernization of 23 F16 to the 52+ standard, all for an amount exceeding $ 4 billion.
If the qualities of the American apparatus no longer need to be demonstrated, this success is largely due to the absence of a fighter. Indeed, with the exception of the JAS 39 Gripen, no modern single-engine aircraft is able to match in terms of price and performance against the F16 in the West. However, the Swedish plane uses a large number of components, including the engine, from the United States or Great Britain. Trade negotiations and export licenses are in fact very complex to obtain, especially since the United States now does not hesitate to openly put obstacles in the way of European industrialists.
Certainly, a modernized Mirage 2000 would have had its place in this competition, and will certainly have convinced several air forces, the aircraft being very efficient, economical, and very versatile. But Dassault, for fear of seeing the State reduce the order for Rafale by ordering modernized Mirage 2000s, chose to condemn the production line after the failure in Poland. Finally, the number of Rafale will still have been halved, and Dassault is no longer in a position to oppose the F16V, leaving a boulevard to Lockheed for all the less fortunate air forces.
Surprisingly, the lesson does not seem to have been learned. Thus, the Franco-German FCAS does not include, at least for the moment, any “light” component, putting it within the reach of these same air forces, more than 10 in the European Union alone. It is difficult, in this case, to want to make this program the standard of European cooperation in Defense matters...