Mark Sheffield of the Policy on Point blog discusses his article “Screwing the Swedes: Lockheed vs. SAAB;” how Lockheed’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter beat out SAAB’s JAS-39 Gripen fighter (with much lobbying help from the US government) for the contract to modernize Norway’s air force; a behind-the-scenes look at the cutthroat business of international arms dealing, courtesy WikiLeaks; how Russia has been surrounded by fleets of top-end jets in neighboring Western-allied and NATO countries; and how the US delayed the transfer of hi-tech radar to SAAB – which would have made the Gripen more competitive – until the Norwegian deal was complete.
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