datafuser SG Joe Baugher's execellent American Military Aircraft site has a page about Singapore's Super Skyhawk at http://home.att.net/~jbaugher4/newa4_22.html and there he wrote that "GEC Marconi was given the contract for the upgrade after Lear-Siegler had been ruled out because of technology transfer difficulties". Does anybody know what the issues were? Thanks in advance, Sunho
tripwire SG maybe Lear-Siegler is an american company subjected to american restrictions on export of aero technology… while marconi is probably a EU (british?) company that does not suffer from similar restrictions in transfer of technology.
datafuser SG Yes Lear-Siegler was American while GEC Marconi was British. GEC Marconi is now Selex Galileo, owned by Italy's Finmeccanica. What I am interested in is exactly what technology transfer was blocked by the US Government. Cheers, Sunho
Shotgun SG Its probably nothing extremely "classified." The technology transfer sensitivities were probably political.
Gooseliver SG < What I am interested in is exactly what technology transfer was blocked by the US Government>> You already got the answer. What you got from Marconi was the same technology from Lear Siegler if not the A4 fleet would not be operational after the upgrading exercise. It was a known fact for those who had worked on the platform during the inception. Marconi was based in Scotland European are more commercialised in dealing with sensitive technology as long you have a system in place to prevent transfer to 3rd party while american do care more about strategic interests. It applies to all military technologies/hardwares For example, it took 2 yrs to get approval for the transfer of decommissioned A4 CARCASSES to the Limoges Museum in France