"John Cook" wrote in message
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On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 20:54:28 -0700, hobo wrote:


The Eurofighter started as a British project and then they brought in
other countries, some of whom then left and then some came back and
politically it has been a big mess. Would the Brits have been better off
doing what became the Eurofighter on their own? By better I mean have a
better plane finished sooner and for less money or some combination of
these qualities which would push it ahead of what they have now, or will
have if they ever finish it.

The Brits wouldn't have ever been able to field such an advanced
system as the current eurofighter who's design owes much to the German
TKF90 design.

The UK would no doubt have designed a good aircraft, and perhaps a
couple of demonstrators and thats about it.

Collabration does a lot to keep the program going, it might slow it a
bit, but it will keep going, and the engineering ideas from multiple
sources is good, the solutions (in the main) are even better.

There has been some conjecture that the EAP would have been a good
fighter in the 1990, as a flying platform is was adequate, systems
wise it was almost non existant - it would have ended up as a basic
sporty Tornado F.3.

And the TFK90 would be different how? It was purely a concept for the
airframe, same really as EAP. If EAP (or TFK90) had actually went on to be
full aircraft, then the systems would have come along. Don't forget the
first 2 Eurofighter development aircraft have practically no weapon system
integration - they are envelope expanision aircraft