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Against a U.S. Navy Battle Group, the Skyhawks and Daggers would have been detected as soon as they took off from Argentinian airfields by our Hawkeyes and the F-14 Tomcats would have splashed them 100 miles before they ever rea[c]hed the Battle Group.

And now there are what, two active-duty F-14 squadrons still embarked? And soon to be "relieved," allegedly, by F/A-18E/F "Super Hornets"?

That leathery crunching noise you hear is the pucker factor operating in all those carrier admirals and four-stripers whose commands are now "protected" by Phoenix-less, shorter-range F/A-18's.

We need some seriously long-range CAP, and the F/A-18 and even the F-35 JSF ain't it. The latter is all about replacing the AV-8's and protecting MEF's and supporting forces ashore. F-35's are good CAP for the amphibs, not power-projection, air-superiority weapons for the Fleet.

Somebody please tell me we have such a weapon on the boards and on schedule to meet any challenge over the Formosa Strait.

That leathery crunching noise you hear is the pucker factor operating in all those carrier admirals and four-stripers whose commands are now "protected" by Phoenix-less, shorter-range F/A-18's.

The Phoenix System has been gone a long time. I'm not sure how effective it would have been against some of today's fighter-attack aircraft as it was designed to take-on (Backfire) bombers & the cruise missiles they carried. Perhaps Pukin can amplify, agree/disagree.