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  "description": "American allies are turning away from American military suppliers.",
  "path": "/why-are-they-not-purchasing-us-jets-and-missiles/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-06T01:00:49.000Z",
  "site": "https://goodoil.news",
  "tags": [
    "**Patrick Drennan**",
    "Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning",
    "Dassault Rafale-F4",
    "costs about",
    "Eurofighter Typhoon",
    "costs about",
    "parliamentary report",
    "Gripen E-series jet fighters",
    "PS-05/A pulse-doppler radar",
    "AIM-9 Sidewinder",
    "AIM-120 AMRAAM",
    "AGM-114 Hellfire",
    "AGM-158 JASSM",
    "FP-5 Flamingo Missiles",
    "Storm Shadow Missiles",
    "Taurus KEPD 350",
    "Meteor",
    "Kh-47M2 Kinzhal",
    "Kh-101/102",
    "Kh-59 series",
    "between $2–7million each",
    "The War Zone",
    "Joseph Trevithick",
    "Saab Sweden",
    "developing unmanned Gripen aircraft",
    "considering",
    "rapidly become ineffective",
    "combining",
    "configured",
    "“wingman” drones",
    "Dassault Rafale-F4.3",
    "planning",
    "operates on time and on budget",
    "intends to buy",
    "J-10 fighter aircraft",
    "planning",
    "RealClearWire"
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  "textContent": "**Patrick Drennan**\n _Patrick Drennan is a journalist based in New Zealand, with a degree in American history and economics._\n\nWhile many nations have committed to buying American jet fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning, its price ($US100 million per unit), high maintenance and operational costs ($6.6million per year), including the cost of its missiles, have seen many American allies look for alternatives.\n\nSo, considering the approximate unit price in US dollars, who are the main competitors?\n\nThe French Dassault Rafale-F4 jet fighter sells for $250 million each and costs about $3.5 million per year to maintain. The Eurofighter Typhoon, representing the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, costs about $120 million per plane, and also about $3.5 million per year to operate (based on a 2023 fleet of 137 aircraft and a 2024 parliamentary report).\n\nSince Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, it has raced to develop its Gripen E-series jet fighters to be compatible with organizational standards. While lacking the stealth of the F-35, its PS-05/A pulse-doppler radar may give it an edge in complex combat scenarios. While the Gripen sells for about $85 million per unit, it has significantly lower flight costs than its competitors (about $7,500 per hour). It can land on motorways and a small ground crew can refuel and re-arm the aircraft in under 20 minutes.\n\nIt is not just the cost of the jets, but also the missiles they use.\n\nAmerican missiles include the AIM-9 Sidewinder (about $400,000 per unit) and the AIM-120 AMRAAM, ($300,000 each). The air-to-surface missiles include the AGM-114 Hellfire ($150,000) and the AGM-158 JASSM ($700,000). All but the JASSM have been used effectively in the Ukraine War.\n\nUkraine also uses their home-made FP-5 Flamingo Missiles ($500,000) and the French/British Storm Shadow Missiles (about $1 million each).\n\nThe Europeans have also developed the Taurus KEPD 350 missile ($1.4 million) and the sophisticated Mach 4 Meteor missile for about $2.3 million per unit. European governments have not approved these long-distance weapons for use in Ukraine, for fear of upscaling the war.\n\nMeanwhile, Russia uses a variety of air-launched missiles, including the hypersonic ballistic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile ($10 million per unit), the long-range cruise missile Kh-101/102 ($1.5 million per unit), and various short-to-medium range missiles like the Kh-59 series (between $2–7million each).\n\nAmerica is constantly learning from the Ukraine war and is making improvements, including lowering the cost of missiles. In the online magazine The War Zone, journalist Joseph Trevithick describes how the newly formed Counter-Air Missile Program (CAMP) was created “for the development, procurement, and integration of a low-cost counter-air capability”.\n\nSo, as it is not just the cost and effectiveness, why are America’s allies buying elsewhere?\n\nCountries that are buying Gripen E-series jet fighters, while deferring American jet purchases, include Colombia, Türkiye, Ukraine, Thailand, and Brazil. Saab Sweden is also developing unmanned Gripen aircraft.\n\nTürkiye is buying 18 Typhoon Eurofighters. Spain has “formally ruled out” the F-35 entirely and, along with Portugal, are also considering the Typhoon Eurofighters. Like others in Europe, Portugal potentially believed that any F-35 fleet would rapidly become ineffective without access to American-controlled maintenance, logistical, and computer networks.\n\nItaly, Japan and the United Kingdom are combining to produce their own generation-six stealth air fighter. The proposed jet is being configured to using a variety of missiles, from expensive to cheap, including interoperability with “wingman” drones.\n\nIndia prepares to purchase 114 Dassault Rafale-F4.3 jet fighters from France (they already operate a fleet of older Rafale fighters). Furthermore, Russia and India are planning to manufacture Su57 jets in India.\n\nDassault also has plans to sell the Rafale jet to Serbia, Greece, and Indonesia. The buyers infer that it is because the French company operates on time and on budget.\n\nIndonesia also intends to buy at least 42 Chinese J-10 fighter aircraft. Egypt, Bangladesh and the UAE are also planning to buy Chinese jets.\n\nWhile the Rafale**,** Typhoon and Gripen are very effective air-to-air fighters, they cannot match the F-35’s speed, power, stealth (low observable design and sensor fusion), and interoperability with other American systems. The American air-launched missiles are pinpoint precise and are making continuous improvement. While foreign systems may have advanced features, they lack proven performance under a variety of combat conditions.\n\nNevertheless, American allies are turning away from American military suppliers, and it is not just aircraft. They are also buying foreign-sourced armored transport, tanks, naval ships, and drones. They are questioning the reliability of the United States as a strategic partner, witnessed by America’s increasing isolationism and trade wars, and vacillation on military support for Ukraine.\n\nThis article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.",
  "title": "Why Are They Not Purchasing US Jets and Missiles?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-06T01:00:49.000Z"
}