Don't get me wrong...I love my F-16, but I don't want to try to cross the taiwan straits in it. If I have to cross those straits, I want to do it at night and in a stealthy jet like an F-22 or an F-35. All those "hordes" of low tech teenager migs might launch, but they will never find me. It really is that big of a difference. If we sent F-16s and F-15s into that threat array our attrition rate would be outrageous.

The piece you guys need to understand is what a gamechanger stealth technology is. With a modern air defense system, if you aren't stealthy, you aren't going. None of the current uav's can survive in that enviornment either.