Long ago, back in 1995, there was an F-22 idea. Now in 2020, there is a sixth Gen possibility because of the F-22, and F-35 Lightning II. The tale of the tape reports there are 168 F-22 assigned to the military, one crashed and two in a storage status while having 13 USAF to play with if need be in storage. The total comes 185 (186 built) F-22’s for the last 20 years. The F-35 Lightning II is a strong spin-off for the F-22 all-purpose warfighter. It gets its roots from the WWII P-38 Lightning which was unparalleled, during WWII. It chewed up the Pacific and then the German ground movement not prepared for defense from its own ME 109’s. The P-38 was that significant.
Now we are the 6th generation threshold where CAD computers can tough it out with a new breed superseding the F-22. MY proposal is simple:
Build 300 F-51 Mustang II’s for the USAF(200) and (Navy’s 100) a few (?) with a lift mechanism for the UNSMC austere capability for its amphibious force offloading ships from the USS 6 America class Landing Ship Dock without an amphibious deck included. It would have the capability of the world’s toughest fighter not unlike the F-22’s own chops. Invisible to radar imaging and exceptional situational awareness and having extreme offensive capabilities when like to all other weapon systems in the battlespace. If a prototype was built now it would be just in time by 2030. Of course new engines!