I said for a long time, the USAF, USN and USMC would never been able to afford a wholesale replacement of the current inventory with the F-22 or F-35 system. Both were far too expensive for a complete inventory swap which is why the USAF plowed ahead with the F-15X (Now the F-15EX) funding and replacement of legacy F-15C and D models as well as the USN going with the F/A-18E and F system:
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021...-first-flight/
Of course, now they quietly admit just maybe the F-35 isn't going to exactly be the cheapest alternative to the F-16:The service expects to buy at least 144 F-15EX aircraft, but the contract includes options to allow the Air Force to purchase up to 200 jets.
Congress first included funds in December to purchase eight F-15EXs through the fiscal 2020 spending bill, and lawmakers approved spending $1.2 billion to buy 12 F-15EXs in fiscal 2021. According to the Air Force’s FY21 budget request, the service plans to buy another dozen planes in FY22, procuring 14 F-15EXs in FY23, and ramping up to 19 jets per year in both FY24 and FY25.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021...lace-the-f-16/
I mean, coulda told you that a decade ago...The Air Force has started a study that will describe its preferred mix of fighters and other tactical aircraft that will be used to help build the fiscal year 2023 budget. That result could include a brand new “four-and-a half or fifth-gen minus” fighter with capabilities that fall somewhere in between the 1970s era F-16 and stealthy fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35 joint strike fighter, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown.
“If we have the capability to do something even more capable for cheaper and faster, why not? Let’s not just buy off the shelf, let’s actually take a look at something else out there that we can build,” Brown told reporters during a Defense Writers Group roundtable.
Brown’s comments are the first time an Air Force official has spoken about introducing another fourth-generation aircraft into the service’s fighter inventory. In January, former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper disclosed that the service’s ongoing study will also weigh whether to buy new-build F-16s from Lockheed Martin.
“As you look at the new F-16 production line in South Carolina, that system has some wonderful upgraded capabilities that are worth thinking about as part of our capacity solution,” Roper told Aviation Week.
Anyway...
It has sparked the interest in people going crazy over the idea:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...r-jet-concept/
Obviously, that's someone's wet dream of a potential F-16 replacement, but it looks to draw on the F-16XL concept (though with twin tails) and doesn't rely on stealth. Which makes sense if that's what you're going for.
Regardless, I've always thought a mix of high and low tech would have been the solution. High tech for the "opening act" of any future warfare, low(er) tech for the sustained fight.
I'm almost expecting an A-10 replacement proposal to come out soon lol
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