Looking realistically at Asia's fighter aircraft ambitions

The recent emergence of plans by South Korea, Japan, India and China to develop sophisticated domestic jet fighters may seem on the surface like an Asian challenge to the longstanding hegemony of US and European manufacturers of such military hardware. However, the difficulties in developing indigenous military aircraft are enormous, writes Marc R. DeVore, as he looks back at similar efforts by India and Japan from the 1980s that ultimately ended in failure.