Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Northrop F-20...
Message-ID: <6564@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 15 May 89 14:35:55 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
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From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
>I have always wanted to know the reasons why the U.S. arms procurment
>passed over the F-20?  From what I know of it, it seems to be a very
>cost effective machine.

I read it as having been a combination of things.  The US historically
did not buy the F-5 series for its own use, and the F-20 started out as
the F-5G.  It had a slightly involved development history, notably a
late decision that it needed a bigger wing (which it did).  And there
were competitors, notably the F-16, that were already well entrenched
in strong positions within the USAF.  It came close once or twice.

                                     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
                                 uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu