[Southack]

You’ve missed the point. We can’t afford both platforms. Pick one. F22 or F35.

If you can’t choose between them, then we overspend ourselves into financial oblivion and you’ll wind up with none.

[USNBandit]

The point is already decided. The F-22 line was shut down.

Talk about missing the point. You don't seem to understand that with the exception of the B-2 (which there are 20) all the airplanes you intend to use for strike aircraft are 30+ years old and are going to the boneyard soon. You are going to be left with some Super Hornets, some F-22s and some late model F-15E and F-16s. The UCAV is not as far through development as the F-35.

Another thing laymen seem to not understand is that while the A-10 is a great airplane for low threat CAS, you cannot take it where the enemy has SAMs. It is too slow. You can't put it in a strike package with other aircraft. It is too slow. No matter how much you like that airplane, it won't get any faster. It has a wing that is a couple feet thick.

[USNBandit]

To be competitive in the air wars of today and the near future, winning fighters will all have at least ONE of the following traits: 1. Stealth, 2. Amazing peak speed, 3. Be unmanned, and/or 4. Have an orbital or sub-orbital capability.You want pilots to continue fighting in aircraft like the A-10, the B-1, and the F-18. The B-1 is pretty fast, but besides that none of those aircraft meet these qualities.

These qualities should look familiar, I got them off your profile.