Thank you for your respectful and informative response.
The current generation of F-15, F-16 and F-18 variants are STILL the best birds up when compared to any non-US aircraft. But it's not necessarily their flight parameters that make them the best.
As is WELL KNOWN the F-15C has never been beat by any aircraft, ever. Nobody wants to tangle with it now and even "5th Generation" fighters from other countries can't beat it. To top it off we have about 400 of them...and another 300 or so F-15E coming online.
Problem with the C's is that they were all built by 1990 or so. The airframes are a little creaky.
I would not be opposed to building another 300 of the C's...new airframes. Make the easy, modern upgrades in controls, engines, materials, avionics and weapons.
Thing is, they'd likely be $150mil aircraft.
As for the F-35.
Yes, it was SUPPOSED to be faster, with greater range and payload than how it ended up.
But it's "almost stealth" characteristics and state-of-the-art avionics/weapons/controls makes it a suitable replacement for the F-16, with this exception:
They cost too much.
We need to build 3,000 combat aircraft in the next 15 years. Almost ANY existing airframe will do.
Most of the high danger business will be done by drones...under the DIRECT AND IMMEDIATE control of the weapons officer within 10 years.
>>But it’s “almost stealth” characteristics and state-of-the-art avionics/weapons/controls makes it a suitable replacement for the F-16, with this exception:
They cost too much.<<
Sounds like we have been following similarly and come up with similar conclusions. Sorry if I was a bit glib.
I did mention price point, but emphasizing it as you did is really where the bat hits the ball (the bug hits the windshield?).
As I said upthread, the future of drones vs. manned aircraft now and into the future will be a fascinating series of conversations/threads — just not one for now.
Late F-35 ping, Jet.