I don’t think I said anything to descredit your post, did I!!!
About being proven in combat, well no one will dispute that. The question is would you want to buy a platform (the F-16) which will go out of service with its main customer in about 20 years. The Super Hornet is a better fit in that respect, but it’s sluggish as an airframe compared to the Eurofighter or Rafale. There are plenty of Freepers who hate the thing.
Sluggish without the EPE engines, yes.