All F-15E have a triplex digital FBW system. I don’t know whether the mechanical controls were retained as in the A-D. Anyway such a significant redesign would be expensive and just adding new V-tails and eliminating the the horizontal planes will most likely not work, the F-15 wasn’t design that way and this would require an extensive redesign which would be way to expensive.

Because a Journo believes something? Lol

TWR is not really relevant with regards to speed. It’s the engine/intake configuration and aerodynamics. The F-14A had a terrible TWR it was yet very fast, faster than many aircraft with a significantly higher TWR.
The AL-41F1S has been optimised to generate more thrust at dry power and higher mach numbers than the AL-31F. It’s not unreasonable that the Su-35S offers a limited supercruise capability, at least clean and possibly with a small weapons load as well.

Without knowing it for sure, but the relocated MLG might allow for Taurus carriage on the centre line station. On older Gripens the MLG might be a show stopper for really large stores on the centre line. But as said that’s more a guess than a fact.

@drabslab,
given aircraft can be down due maintenance 1h per day is a LOT. Amassing 1000 h with three airframes in less than a years isn’t bad, the opposite.

@Jessmo,
as djcross said 2k lb LJDAM variants would fit into the weapon bays, 2k lb PW variants wouldn’t. The 500 lb GBU-12 is the largest PW family member which fits the F-35’s weapon bay.

@Sferrin,
it’s 4 AAMs not two.

@Mrmalaya,
Meteor is not scheduled for SDD. A modified version of the Meteor which fits the F-35’s weapon bays is under development. When it is ready remains yet to be seen, but probably not much before 2020.

@Obligatory,
and what exactly do you compare with that sentence, which I could not even found in the article? It lists the achievements, not that the aircraft flew at 36k ft pulling -3 to +9 g while carrying heavy stores.

Also, not many laymen know this, but the Mirage F1 was superior to newer F-16s/Mig-29s until the early 1990s, since these were day fighters with no BVR capability! :p

A generalised “superior” would be a little bit far stretched. Superior in certain areas perhaps. But no big deal at all, and for the record the MiG-29 was night and BVR capable since its inception.