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Unless you build your own jets from the ground up, it is not "strategic autonomy". Even licensing the parts and building your own factories is a mess due to the high amount of technical expertise required to diagnose these (arguably overly) complicated systems. Let alone software updates.
What this actually is a mixture of doubling down on "NATO is the EU" (fair) and probably just escaping the albatross that is the f-35. Like, those aren't the disaster the F-22 was but they aren't that far off. And mostly highlight the question of whether a stealth/fifth-gen fighter even makes sense (spoiler alert: They don't). Treat existing expenditures as a politically/security motivated sunken cost and "evaluate" the European alternative while actually just buying more fourth-gens, ballistic missiles, and stealth bombers.
Still. Good on them. The f-35 was mostly just a tithe to the US Military Industrial Complex. And considering there are decent odds that is going to be on the other side in WW3...
The F-22 being a disaster, can you elaborate on that? I thought it was a good plane that while it does cost a lot is the most advanced fighter the US has made to date.
I have no clue what the other guy is talking about. The F-22 is an amazing plane that was and still is the stealthiest fighter made.
They're just parroting the BS about "western weapons are too reliant on technology". Oh no, complicated things, so scary. It's unfounded and pretty prevalent in russian-aligned commentary as more and more information comes out about the spectacular technological shortcomings the russian military has been trying to hide (like how the much celebrated and modeled SU-75, russia's 5th gen steal "equivalent" to the F35, turns out to have been made of plywood. And as far as anyone knows, it still is, we've never seen one fly).
If they push the line that advanced equipment is bad then they don't look so pathetic. Unfortunately, people who dont know any better also wind up believing them.