LO The point I was making was the FMS numbers are nothing compared to the USAF numbers, if the A10 is to be retired early as well as some F16s units going then the number of F35As required to directly replace (1:1) the active F16 fleet would be in the region of 8-900 not the ordered 1,763.
I cannot see the USAF being granted the funds to nearly double the size of its fighter / attack fleet materially in the future.
If this is the case then the unit cost must go through the roof, it has been the most expensive development project in the US DOD's history, unless someone is just going to wright off all the development costs..