By the end of the 1960s, most air forces had a well-developed air­craft industry using second-gen­eration jet fighters - the MiG-21 Fishbed, the F-4 Phantom II, the F-5 Freedom Fighter, and the Mirage III. These fighters were high performance (a top speed of Mach 2.0 or better and a 19,000- to 20,000 m/62,335 to 65,616 ft. service ceiling), carried guid­ed air-to-air missile (AAM) armament, and fire-control radar enabling day-and-night, all-weather operations. Simultaneously, third-generation fight­ers were emerging, such as the MiG-23 Flogger, the Mirage F.l, and the SAAB JA/AJ-37 Viggen in Sweden. No quan­tum leap in performance was needed at this stage. The main requirements were longer range, better maneuverability and versatility, with the ability to oper­ate from semi-prepared airstrips.