I know a lot of folks here are considering the F-18, should we lose the F-35, but going back to a 1950s jet?
Maybe not the F18 but why not go for the typhoon and develop it to its full potential.
Contrary to the F35, it seems like they got the basics right, the aircraft itself is very decent with tons of growth potential.
Apart from the baked in stealth it basically is an F22 performance wise, it has the potential of having a top of the line radar, has good MMI and Helmet and the towed decoy(DaSS), Pirate, ESM-ECM,etc... all of witch can be upgraded over time.
For those that want to work on technologies which are on the cutting edge, maybe a bit of a stretch for now but the following could very well be already in the pipeline;
Forget about Stealth, the longterm research (DARPA) of the US DoD are also putting their emphasis on acitve defence systems iso of relying on Stealth for protection.
This basically frees up a lot of constrictions on the design mandated by stealth.
With the Germans as partners (Rheinmetall) they have a similar technology available putting it right on the edge again.
Rheinmetall Successfully Tests 10-kW Laser Weapons | Defense Update - Military Technology & Defense News
DARPA is working on derivatives of this project to build an active "shield" for their aircraft;
High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) Programme - Airforce Technology