Fighter aircraft market 2021: second-hand fighters shoot down new ones
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| Second-hand Rafale multirole fighters. |
The fighter aircraft market saw a sharp increase in sales of used platforms in the first half of 2021, hindering business for new ones. In January, Greece bought 18 Rafale fighters (12 of which second-hand), followed a few months later by Croatia which at the end of May confirmed its intention to procure 12 Rafales from the inventory of the French Air Force.
With aerospace industries releasing enhanced variants of their platforms to meet the demands of today's air forces, the market is offering great opportunities for countries with economic downturns. Since early variants cannot always be upgraded to the latest standards, nations often sell them to streamline their fleet. This trend weighs on fighter manufacturers who are losing some important contracts.
An example is the sales of F-16s which in the last decade have favored used aircraft over new ones. Croatia had also selected second-hand Fighting Falcons (former Israeli Air Force) before the United States prevented the deal.
Used aircraft will likely continue to take a good share of the market in the coming years, there are still many fourth generation aircraft available, such as the Eurofighter T1 or Gripen C/D, as well as many countries that cannot afford new aircraft. As with the latest tenders, the price of a second-hand Rafale will always be better than that of newly manufactured competitors, as well as being delivered in a much faster time.
Written by Matteo Sanzani
With aerospace industries releasing enhanced variants of their platforms to meet the demands of today's air forces, the market is offering great opportunities for countries with economic downturns. Since early variants cannot always be upgraded to the latest standards, nations often sell them to streamline their fleet. This trend weighs on fighter manufacturers who are losing some important contracts.
An example is the sales of F-16s which in the last decade have favored used aircraft over new ones. Croatia had also selected second-hand Fighting Falcons (former Israeli Air Force) before the United States prevented the deal.
Used aircraft will likely continue to take a good share of the market in the coming years, there are still many fourth generation aircraft available, such as the Eurofighter T1 or Gripen C/D, as well as many countries that cannot afford new aircraft. As with the latest tenders, the price of a second-hand Rafale will always be better than that of newly manufactured competitors, as well as being delivered in a much faster time.
Written by Matteo Sanzani
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