i'm sure the same thing could have been said for the 16 and 18 at some point. right? once global technology catches up perhaps? i'm a novice.
Well,the F-16 & F-18 were available for export,pretty much from the start,after initial delivery to US forces.Those aircraft while world class did have similar competitors like the French Mirage-2000 & Russian Mig-29.The F-22 is in a wholly different class of it’s own.It’s got no peers.It may be cleared for release in another 10 years to the likes of Japan or Israel.