Deliverance - did I read you correctly as comparing the Phantom with the F3? Shock and horror - you made the same mistake as Mike Elsom in 1980 when he was in OR and spent his time telling the World how good the F2 was compared with the F4.
I seem to remember air combat training against the Phantom in a Lightning in 1967 and flying the Phantom in ACT the early 70's. I sincerely hope that an aircraft entering service in the 80's with a weapons system much-modified since then would compare very favourably with the Phantom!
However, the F3 still does not match the Lightning or the Phantom at high level, although it now has an infinitely better weapons system and loads more help from external sources.
Having said all that I agree with your sentiments on AD. It is nonsense to promote offensive capability as more important than AD.