Originally Posted by
Rotor Buddy
Please excuse my ignorance as I genuinely dont know, but could someone explain the reasons behind why we need the permission of the US to agree the sale of these aircraft between NZ and another nation? Thanks
Congress decides to whom it will sell its hardware and the conditions that will apply to the End User and technology transfer. The Canberra B(I)6 and 15/16 was a case in point. These were part funded by the US and capable of carrying US Nuclear bombs. When they were retired we were not allowed to sell them on.
Another example was the C130. The package we got was a self-maintain package whereas the package sold to the Iranian Air Force had a Lockheed support package included. Where a prop seal needed replacement RAF Engineers could do this in the field. For the Iranian aircraft it involved an engine change and shipment back to the US - at a cost!
The RAF Eng in Tehran who showed the Iranians how to do a seal change got a rocket from Lockheed who stood to lose a nice little earner.