^^ There's a limit to how much pressure a fused out US can put on all competitors dude.LOL. Even SAAB that depends on US engines will refuse to budge its stand for the prize money here: $ 12 billion. Israel had it been more self-reliant would have shown the finger to Pentagon for this contract. Sweden is not Israel and it is unlikely that it will budge.
Europe still gives us an independent option.
The envelope has expanded to third parties like Israel.
Icecool, I kind of agree with your overall comment but Israel cannot do anything here since the AESA is funded by US firms and it is virtually helpless. If we had put in our cash and formed a JV with Israelis, US couldn't do jack even if it wanted to. This is our mistake that we've been repeating in not teaming up with Israel on serious weapons JVs. Barak-8 is the only thing. Had ADA focused on electronics as well with Israelis, we won't have come to this situation.
Though now it becomes all the more clear why we shouldn't buy US technology AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. They are unreliable lot; always have been and their un reliability has costed many nations dearly. WE don't want to be their next test bed. The MRCA contract stands for some TOTs that are critical. Anyone not meeting the requirement gets the boot. That includes US. And US knows that it will not win in a fair competition. So it is trying to crush as many competitors as possible.
Technically Boeing and LM as private firms wouldn't mind selling us even the Raptors if we asked, but the US Congress calls the shots and they can't do anything. The Shivalik engines blocked also put GE and Congress on a collision course when the former was pressing the government to release the engines fast.