The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and the extensively updated F-5E and F-5F Tiger II variants.
Cost: US$2.1 million
Max speed: 925 mph (Mach 1.4) at 36,000 feet. Maximum cruising speed: 640 mph (Mach 0.97) at 36,000 feet
Advanced weaponry are not just sold to any Tom, Dick and Harry because they can afford them, there are many factors at play; stability of the nation buying them and importantly “what if the country buying goes to war with you or your ally or loses it to an enemy?”
Japan has severally begged USA to sell it F22 but Americans have refused to sell such an advanced weapon to anyone.
Kenya can can borrow tenfold and afford one F15, but be assured US will not sell to Kenya. Somalis wataweza kunyanganya wakenya hapo Eastleigh airbase.
Toa upuss hapa. You think buying military hardware is as easy as buying obambla kwa solo vile umezoea? The source country can’t just allow you to buy their latest technology just coz you can afford.
True. There are other prohibitive factors beyond cost. It would be imprudent on their part to sell advanced military hardware to every bozo with deep pockets. For example, the Chinese and Russians can easily reverse-engineer the tech and the U.S. would lose their edge. They would only need to buy one or two pieces before arming their armies with replicas. Even worse, they can engineer defense systems specifically for that weapon once they learn how it works.
Planes like F15 are sold to any nation that is half stable if they can pay for it. Export ones are different anyway. Kenya just cannot afford it well enough to make sense. Pilots infrastructure, equipment for maintenance, ground crews etc are expensive. Then again we need other equipment and transport aircraft more than we need fancy dogfighting planes.
Shida ni restrictions lazima twende kwa congress to beg ndio tuuziwe. Kenya need KAMOZ K52 alligator attack helicopter. F15 Can handle our need ama tuuziwe TOMCAT F14. Pia sukhoi S27 flanker iko chonjo.
We need to first get the simple arithmetic of election vote counting before we are entrusted with such advanced gadgets.
Or at least our work ethics as far as “cutting corners”…….