[dadoum]

> making the single-seat fighter also the first supersonic aircraft manufactured in Latin America

Would the Ariane rockets also qualify as "supersonic aircraft manufactured in Latin America" in some overly pedantic way?

I mean, personally I wouldn't consider it as manufactured there (as it's only final assembly), whether French Guiana actually belongs to Latin America is also up for debate and even designating a rocket as an aircraft would be a stretch in my opinion, but I would be interested to know how it can be objectively dismissed.

[dmitrygr]

*AIR*craft are craft that need & use air. Rockets not only do not need air, they prefer a lack of air. So they are not aircraft. They are spacecraft (they are designed for and prefer space)

[snypher]

To clarify they use air to generate lift and hence the ability to travel in the Z-axis, not that they need air to make the propulsion system work.

Edit: if you strapped a Raptor engine to a 747 it would still be an aircraft.

[dmitrygr]

You outpedanted me, nicely done, sir.

[mopsi]

Aircraft depend on the air for lift and/or propulsion. Rockets do not; they are not aircraft because they can operate outside of the atmosphere.