If there could be a central, unspoken theme among the post-Soviet aerospace firms seen at this year's Paris Air Show it would be that it may no longer be possible for these former Soviet republics - either alone or collectively - to develop new-generation combat aircraft. Almost all current fighter aircraft programmes are either developed with several nations participating (as with the Eurofighter and F-35) or are seeking to establish production lines in multiple geographic regions (as with the Rafale and Gripen) to create the necessary economies of scale.
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