Courtney
Yes, well that is essentially the question I'm asking. Could one build an aircraft that was required to carry no load, that would be impervious to the standard modern warheads?
I'm well aware of sacrificial decoys, they are a different answer to the problem.
It can be launched by rocket if need be. It can use all the spare weight saved by removing the normal requirements of an aircraft as bulletproof plating.
Take a Tornado. Imagine all that weight carrying capacity was used up as armour. Could it be done?