Comments by "Chef Chaudard" (@chefchaudard3580) on "Ireland Buying New Jet Fighters!? What Might They Go For?" video.

If for interception over the sea, range is of upmost importance. Like reliability. Meaning a somewhat heavy fighter. Single engine aircraft, like the Gripen or F-16 are out. Rafale and EF2000 have relatively short legs. Though Rafale can has a « buddy to buddy » refueling capacity Training aircraft’s are not an option either : single engine, short legs. I would go with F-15, even if only a handful. Or F/A-18 if the US Navy is retiring some (which there is no sign of). Or Rafale with refueling capacity.
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@ I suppose combat radius is not the same, depending if we talk about brand new F-16V and second hand F-16s. I don’t know if 300 or 400 miles is good enough However, depending on the requirements, the F-16 is probably not the best choice in that respect. Added to the fact it is a single engine aircraft, There are better suited aircraft’s on the market. Now, it will boil down to what Ireland can afford, and their requirements.
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@Art-is-craft agreed, but the primary use will be interception : intercepting unidentified aircraft’s, mainly Russian long range aircraft’s and escorting them. You need long range and air to air missiles for that. Another role would be anti shipping . I don’t know which range would be acceptable for that. This is up to the Irish army to set that. Secondary role would be air to ground operations, if, for example, Ireland joins NATO or an EU military alliance. I don’t mean that the F-16 will not be good enough, but there are some other aircraft’s that are better suited.
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