Are you stating that the military thought the F-16 would be superior in an air to air battle?
I have no idea what the military thought. but it is a superior fighter to a clumsy bomb truck with limited armament and only head on ‘stealth’
If the F-35 is deprived of AWACS support and has to proceed under EMCON conditions, which deprive it of BVR capability, the F-16 has proven able to kill it - the F-35 sacrificed agility and weight for sorta-stealthiness.