> it will almost certainly not be in service for 30 years. What makes you think that? Its predecessors (F-15/F-16) are both 40+ year old designs with most of

> it will almost certainly not be in service for 30 years. What makes you think that? Its predecessors (F-15/F-16) are both 40+ year old designs with most of the current airframes being 25-30 years old. They're all still slated to fly until at least 2030, IIRC. Then there's the B-52, which is a 70 year old design with all of the airframes being 50+ years old and no end in sight.