International Armaments Cooperation: A Case Study of the F-16 Agile Falcon Codevelopment Program

The purpose of this research was to examine armaments cooperation within the context of a case study of the F-16 Agile Falcon codevelopment program. The Agile Falcon program involved the U.S., Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands original F-16 coproduction participants in an effort to codevelop the next generation F-16. The objective of the study was to answer nine investigative questions pertaining to the management, benefits, technology transfer, implementation, effects, and future of the F-16 Agile Falcon program. Additionally, the study provides an overview of armaments cooperation, and some previous lessons learned from applicable literature. Eight lessons learned were identified that would benefit management of the Agile Falcon program. The U.S. could have gained a new aircraft, retrained or increased jobs, and gained an aircraft to compete for the international fighter market. The EPGs could have gained a new aircraft, retained or increased jobs, gained development expertise, and received advanced technology. It appears the Agile Falcon would have been a very good program for a codevelopment effort. The indecision within the U.S. over the aircrafts mission, lack of a European requirement, and the U.S.s tight budget all contributed to the cancellation of the Agile Falcon program. Most likely codevelopment of weapon systems will be a future trend.