"Charles Talleyrand" wrote in message ...
Can someone comment on the best aircraft for this job? My gut suggests that among the
planes a nation might be able to buy the best might be something like a Mig-21 or Q-5
Fantan with western radar or an F-5 (if they are available).


Sometimes the pricipal purpose of the fighter is sovergnity protection. No
one expectsBrazil, Switzerland, or New Zealand's fighters to engage in air-air
combat. Instead we expect them to be available to political leaders and to
enforce border security and sometimes anti-drug operations.

No one expectsBrazil, Switzerland, or New Zealand's fighters to
engage in air-air combat.

Why not? The Royal New Zealand Air Force has retired all its A-4s and
MB339s without replacement. They have no fighter capability. Brazil
has postponed its new fighter choice but listed the F-16, Gripen,
Mirage 2000, Su-35 and MiG-29 as candidates. Due to cost it is likely
that they will either lease or buy used aircraft. The Swiss train
regularly in air combat. Due to restricted airspace they use the North
Sea trainiing ranges supported by British Aerospace at RAF Waddington,
Lincolnshire in England. The Swiss use F/A-18s and F-5s.

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/1999/swiss/acmi.htm

Picture of Swiss Hornet fitted out with range instrumentation pod:

http://www.warplane.co.uk/Nomad/n36.jpg