British version of the F-16 in 1976

[datafuser]

Attached is from The Economist's survey on the RAF on 17 December 1977.

It says around 1976 "a British version of the F-16" was gaining support as the aircraft to meet the AST 403 requirement.

Does anybody have more details about this British F-16 idea?

 

[Kiltonge]

Could it be a typo? The F-18L was seriously considered but I thought the F-16 was rejected fairly promptly.

I expect to be re-educated soon!

 

[shedofdread]

I seem to recall BAe projects similar in concept to the F16. Maybe that's what the article is alluding to?

 

[Jemiba]

Maybe the HS.1205-5 ? The attached drawing comes from Michael Pryces and Michael Hirschbergs
paper "Beyond The Harrier"mentions, that AST 403 was strongly influenced by the appearance of the
F-16 and that several proposals resembled it and the F-18.

 

[datafuser]

The Economist article said

" The RAF is now left with three basic choices. First, it could buy off the shelf from the Americans, either, say, the single-engined F-16 or the twin-engined F-18 (or its land variant F-18L), or try to develop, in co-operation with the Americans, some upgraded version of these aircraft. That might be the cheapest solution; but as far as the British aerospace industry is concerned it is the least desirable, for were it to happen the development of a purely British combat aircraft would almost certainly be postponed. "

So, the "British version of the F-16" seems to be literally a derivative of the F-16, something like the Japanese F-2.

 

[Jemiba]

Well, in the first article, it isn't said whose opinions are meant. Maybe not those of
the British industry, but those responsible for the economical side of procurement.
In the second article it quite probablythe opinion pronounced by The Economist,
so maybe sound and reasonable, but with no weightiness, I think.
If the German airforce would be flying, what the weekly magazine Der Spiegel thinks,
would be the best, equipment would be quite different, too.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

A twin RB-199 version of the Mirage 2000 was also briefly considered.

 

[marauder2048]

I recall watching an interview with Michael Portillo who was reflecting on his time as defence secretary. Portillo began investigating the
possibility of canceling Typhoon in favor of an F-16 derivative but relented after several RAF and MOD worthies threatened to self-immolate which
might have brought down the government. Portillo's post-ministerial career included a stint as a director at BAE...

 

[Rickshaw]

A twin RB-199 version of the Mirage 2000 was also briefly considered.

Mirage 4000 lite? Mirage 3000?

 

[Kiltonge]

Mirage 4000 lite? Mirage 3000?

Yes, Dassault true to form made an unsolicited proposal. Nothing like them for salesmanship

Dassault has already projected an RB.199-powered Mirage 3000 to meet the
RAF requirement for a "pretty fighter"

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978 - 1567.html

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Early records in the National Archives are available (later stuff is still classified) and a Mirage 2000 derivative was actively considered at one point, so it wasn't simply Dassault salesmanship.

 

[uk 75]

Just as a bit of fun I had a friend of mine make up an RAF Germany from the late 70s still with Red Tops to save money. I also have a Firestreak version in silver

 

[TomS]

British Secret Projects has a drawing of HS.1202-9, which looks like a foreshortened F-16 with twin tails. (There is a thread here but the images have been removed.) Quite a remarkable resemblance, even if that isn't what was being referred to in the Economist.

 

[GTX]

A twin RB-199 version of the Mirage 2000 was also briefly considered.

Off topic I know (so please move if need be), but does anyone have an image of what this may have looked like?

 

[famvburg]

Wasn't this AKA the Mirage 3000?

 

[PMN1]

British Secret Projects: Jet Fighters Since 1950 has a picture on Page 145 of the HS.1202-9 captioned 'Britain's very own F-16'

It was larger with a 3m increase in the wingspan and 1m increase in length and had twin tails.

4 Sidewinders, 2 27mm cannon and a variety of ground attack weapons on 4 more underwing hardpoints.