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It really doesnt matter what you sell them or want to sell them. The main point about the article is not whether Superhornets are all that better then Sukhois or whether F-15s would be better option. What really matters is how much dough you can put on your hardware. If sufficient amount of $$$s are poured, even a Mig-21 can become formidable. Its not that Asian countries havent had russian hardware before. Whats has really changed is that with rapidly rising economy Asian countries have more dough to put on their russian hardwares. Main point of the article is that Australia is having trouble keeping pace with a rapidly modernising defense of Asian countries. Today's Russian equipment is a lot more then the 80's Soviet technology, now they come with european electronics and weapon systems depending on the amount of dough you can throw on it. Todays russian hardware more dangerous then what was fielded by the Soviet Union in the 70’s and 80’s. Add to that Chinese and Russian equipment have more bang for a buck. They have sufficient technology edge and they are dirt cheap enough to be fielded in large numbers. And thats gonna be a tough opposition for Australia to take on. Regardless of whether Australia buys the F-22, F-35, Superhornets or F-15s it really doesnt have much dough to put on them.

Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia will be much tougher opposition in future. And only in their dreams will Australia be able to beat China.

The latest Sukhois with the latest Israeli radar is only as good as the pilot using it. Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and even China can spend all they want on the latest shiny toys, but they’ll also have to match the professional level of training of India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.

As for Australia defeating China, the point is that they don’t have to. They only have to defend against China long enough for Australia’s allies to respond. I know that Australia has a ‘go it alone’ operational policy, but as you pointed out, with a total population base of 20 million, it’s getting harder for them to fund such a noble ideal.

That’s why the U.S. could forward deploy F-22s to Australia or Japan as a contingency, if relations in the region are deteriorating.