PAFAce
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They're both light-to-middle-weight fighters with Multirole Capability, and they both were originally designed as part of the same program. It is not an illogical comparison.
The YF-16 beat the YF-17 Cobra (later developed into the F-18 Hornet) for the USAF Lightweight Fighter Program. That should give you the first clue. Secondly, the F-16 is the superior Within Visual Range fighter, whereas the F/A-18 Super Hornet offers greater survivability and durability. Also, he F-16 is the fighter that can be inducted in larger numbers, whereas the F/A-18 is a fighter you can rely on to generate sortie-after-sortie without much fuss. With the F/A-18, you pay for all the structural modifications that the aircraft incorporated when it was navalized, and hence, in many cases, you're paying for stuff you don't need.
In short, if your needs are similar to those of the US Navy, the Super Hornet is the winner. For everyone else, the F-16 is a far better deal, as proven by its international sales.
As for Transfer of Technology, the MMRCA contest would have been over by now if the US offered full, or even considerable, ToT. The Indians couldn't possibly get a better deal than the F/A-18 or F-16 with full ToT. But, emo_girl has a point, the US does not offer enough ToT even to its closest allies (UK Ministry of Defence learnt this the hard way), that's just not how they roll. Both the Super Hornet and the Fighting Falcon are far beyond the technological capabilities of countries like India, Pakistan, and even Brazil (though their Aero industry is much older), and the United States would want it to stay that way for as long as possible. Once India starts work on a comparable aircraft, suddenly the tech will be made available to them out of the blue.
The YF-16 beat the YF-17 Cobra (later developed into the F-18 Hornet) for the USAF Lightweight Fighter Program. That should give you the first clue. Secondly, the F-16 is the superior Within Visual Range fighter, whereas the F/A-18 Super Hornet offers greater survivability and durability. Also, he F-16 is the fighter that can be inducted in larger numbers, whereas the F/A-18 is a fighter you can rely on to generate sortie-after-sortie without much fuss. With the F/A-18, you pay for all the structural modifications that the aircraft incorporated when it was navalized, and hence, in many cases, you're paying for stuff you don't need.
In short, if your needs are similar to those of the US Navy, the Super Hornet is the winner. For everyone else, the F-16 is a far better deal, as proven by its international sales.
As for Transfer of Technology, the MMRCA contest would have been over by now if the US offered full, or even considerable, ToT. The Indians couldn't possibly get a better deal than the F/A-18 or F-16 with full ToT. But, emo_girl has a point, the US does not offer enough ToT even to its closest allies (UK Ministry of Defence learnt this the hard way), that's just not how they roll. Both the Super Hornet and the Fighting Falcon are far beyond the technological capabilities of countries like India, Pakistan, and even Brazil (though their Aero industry is much older), and the United States would want it to stay that way for as long as possible. Once India starts work on a comparable aircraft, suddenly the tech will be made available to them out of the blue.