Maritime aircraft are good candidates for AESA. It wouldn’t have issues as fas as power generation and heat dissipation for most types. I also would think there would be a priority for spy planes using SLAR. Slant range is probably no issue for an aircraft like the U-2.

The USAF, ANG, and IDF should have ordered F-16XL with DSI inlets using the General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan, MATV thrust nozzle TVC, F-16 Blk 60 CFT’s, FLIR camera blisters on the top and bottom of the nose similar to the AFTI program, wingtip ESM/ECM pods similar to ones on the Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 Blk 60 AN/APG-80 AESA radar, and an integrated LANTIRN-like system only using upgraded components. That and radar treatments to give it the LWO equal to F/A-18E.

Or get F-35A built five years earlier.

Twin rudder F-5’s FTW.

While a Reaper certainly will not match an eight ship J-10 formation, I wouldn’t give up on the idea that two F-35A in formation with 2-5 mules couldn’t mop the sky against the same formation. Force enablers are just reaching testing phase and only the tip of the iceberg will be revealed until its necessary.

One problem with stealth is the perception of it by the other guy. The F-35 is to opposing forces what Dirty Harry is to the common movie criminal. The latter just doesn’t realize it until they suck air through a fatal chest wound.

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The server will be snappier if we keep thread pages cut down. We don’t need 300 page threads here.