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I doubt the Lightning is any more unsuited to the role of fighter-bomber as the F104 was, and it sold by the thousands, Germany alone bought 916 of them. Cost is altered by production volume, while the twin engine Lightning will never be as cheap as the single engine F104 or Mirage III if the RAF had bought ~450+ and the LW ~650+ the price would drop.The British requirement was in 1958 for an in-service date of 1960, the P1154 wasn't even conceived until 1962 and by 1965 was expected to enter service by 1972. The Jaguar slowly morphed from its 1965 genesis as an advanced trainer for an in service date of 1974 as a sophisticated attack aircraft. So as suitable as these aircraft were they weren't options in 1958-60 whereas a developed Lightning could have been.
I doubt the Lightning is any more unsuited to the role of fighter-bomber as the F104 was, and it sold by the thousands, Germany alone bought 916 of them. Cost is altered by production volume, while the twin engine Lightning will never be as cheap as the single engine F104 or Mirage III if the RAF had bought ~450+ and the LW ~650+ the price would drop.
The British requirement was in 1958 for an in-service date of 1960, the P1154 wasn't even conceived until 1962 and by 1965 was expected to enter service by 1972. The Jaguar slowly morphed from its 1965 genesis as an advanced trainer for an in service date of 1974 as a sophisticated attack aircraft. So as suitable as these aircraft were they weren't options in 1958-60 whereas a developed Lightning could have been.
