F-35 Cancelled, then what ?

[George K Lee]

Ahh, those experts!

But Gates said the Air Force can afford to have fewer big fighters, because the U.S. has such a huge margin of superiority over any potential rival, in the air. "By 2020, the United States is projected to have nearly 2,500 manned combat aircraft of all kinds" in the Air Force, Navy and Marines, Gates said. "Of those, nearly 1,100 will be the most advanced fifth-generation F-35s and F-22s. China, by contrast, is projected to have no fifth-generation aircraft by 2020. And by 2025, the gap only widens."

https://www.wired.com/2009/08/air-fo...light-fighter/