FAA should buy F-18 and then bin them off to the RAF after 15 years to help replace GR4.
This will give the FAA capability today, lower costs which will pay for 'cat & traps' which allows for UCAV capability in the future, a natural upgrade path to a mature stealthy Northrop or Boeing option in the future, more a/c to be purchased, less risk, less maintenance, interoperability, long range strike via Storm Shadow carriage, Meteor does it fit in JSF???, asraam integration already done on F-18, F-18 combat proven, F-18 day to day proven etc
If it were my money, which it is, I'd go 50/50 F-18E/G. I can see back seaters controlling ucavs/local battlespace in the future.
Let the spams do the day 1 stuff, they're good at starting wars
