A British IAR-93 Orao instead of Hawk and Jaguar!

[Lawman]

In the late '50s and early '60s, it becomes clear that there is a need for a new advanced trainer aircraft for the RAF. A tender is put out, for a lightweight, supersonic aircraft, to be used both as a trainer and as a lightweight fighter (complete with radar or other systems as needed). Using an afterburning derivative of the Bristol Viper, a new design emerges, bearing some resemblance to the American T-38/F-5A, and some resemblance (though obviously not at the time...) to the IAR-93. The aircraft uses a pair of 5,000lb thrust (dry) Vipers modified into a turbofan configuration, with afterburners yielding around 7,000lb of thrust. It is capable of Mach 1.6 or so, and can carry a small, but effective, radar, and suitable missiles, rockets etc... There could also be a twin 30mm Aden built in - used for either combat use or weapons training (and not loaded for normal training). This also frees up the centreline hardpoint for a drop tank, or simply for a chaff/flare pod (which caused the Jaguar to lose two hardpoints).

The end result is a lightweight combat aircraft, with excellent manouverability, and relatively benign handling characteristics. The aircraft sells well, with Norway, India, Switzerland (instead of F-5s), Singapore (again, in place of F-5s), Canada (yet again, instead of F-5s) all buying the aircraft for combat. Add to this all the Hawk's customers, and you have a very significant sales potential. It might have been a good option for Chile as well, getting around US objections to F-5 sales - they could be given an arms package in the '70s and '80s, consisting of used Hunters and Canberras, as well as these lightweight supersonic fighters (to operate alongside their Mirages). For the RAF, there could be pretty major numbers involved, with 200+ as trainers (as happened with Hawk), and perhaps another 200+ instead of the Jaguar. It could amount to well over a thousand aircraft, perhaps with second generation versions (perhaps a newer engine and better avionics) pushing this as high as two thousand!

[Lawman]

If we combine the customer lists for the Jaguar (minus some of the French-influenced ones, who would almost certainly buy the Mirage F1 in the Jag's absence), Hawk and some F-5 customers, we arrive at a lot of sales. It could have allowed the RAF to maintain fighter strength post '57 - you still need lots of trainers, so you just dual-role them for CAS and light fighter duties, and give them a squadron numberplate. It could actually prove beneficial for training purposes, if the training units have a degree of esprit de corps, and some healthy competition (i.e. student pilots would be assigned to one of several training units, and then compete in training exercises). There could be a mix of a high end fighter squadron, a strike squadron with Buccaneers, and a squadron of these lightweight fighter squadrons, and an associated training squadron (that is activated in time of war, giving a four squadron wing).

[Archibald]

Love this kind of scenario!
It could be interesting having an alt-history in which Jaguar fail and is replaced by an off-the-shelf, cheap fighter-bomber.

Lots of contenders taje their chance, among them are

- an enlarged F-5 with Adours (Northrop entry)
- HF-24 Marut (India)
- CA-31 (Australia)
- Kfir (Israel)
- AMX (Italia and Brazil)
- IAR-93

What do you think about that ?