Nobody’s asking you to engage in asphyxia. However, your rosy picture of a nice, cosy F-15 CAP always being there for the ground attack jockeys is what happens on the theory board but not always in a shooting war. Firing off a couple of wingtip Sidewinders and then finding yourself defenceless and still surrounded by a bevy of hostiles is not the option of choice for your average pilot.

And what competant commander would send attack aircraft unescorted into an area in which his strike aircraft are likely to need MORE than two or four AAMs? :rolleyes:

Like I said, we seem to have here a scenario where the technology, the financial incentive and the mission benefit all co-incide. That only usually ever means one thing.

Like I said, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that technology has advanced much further than it actually has.