Hey run, what's up? I must say, it's real nice talkin' to SOMEONE on this forum, cuz God no's that few people ever seem to feel the need to post anything. Our debates often prove quite interesting, and that being said, let's get back into it, okay, :)
Top Speed - Okay, I KNEW, I just knew you would say that the single seater can only go Mach 1.8. I was only giving such a figure for estimation, to give you an idea of how fast the F-16XL was when complete. Now, if you look back at my original post, you should notice that I talk about an F-16XL that has the latest engine for the F-16 family, you know, those 30,000+
pounds of thrusts engines found on the Block 60s and probably also the Block 52+. With an engine like that, I'm sure it would be much faster. I not sayin' it would break Mach 3 or somethin', but Mach 2 probably would be a piece of cake. Of course, having said that, I immediately think of your argument about the usefulness of top speed, in which you are indeed correct. Unless the plane is an interceptor, maximum speed is usually irrelevant. However, if the F-16XL were to be sold to foreign countries, where they may use it for as many different types of missions as possible to save cost (including interception), then it would be a slightly bigger deal. Oh, and sorry about all the links; I just wanted you to see where I got my information, that's all.
Manueverability - I didn't realize a good deal of what you said about delta wings, especially since I thought the F-16XL was created partly to simultaneously taken advantages of the delta wing's strengths and destroy any weaknesses. Thank you for the info, for now I'm just that much smarter, lol, lol, :) And you are indeed right, the F-16XL was REALLY made to be a great dogfighter, though it still could be one. Finally, as to your question about a fighter with a full delta wing like the F-16XL that is a good dogfighter, well, I'm not quite sure what you mean by a "full" delta wing, but my best guess would be the Mirage 2000. From what I've heard, it's agility is pretty close to, if not on - par with that of the F-16. However, I'm not sure if it sports a "full" delta wing as you said, mainly cuz I don't know what a full delta wing is, lol. Is it just a normal delta wing, with the triangular shape, or somethin' else? Clarification would be greatly appreciated. :)
Payload - I wasn't taken the Super Hornet for granted just because it had fewer hardpoints. I just didn't really see the Super Hornet as being able to lift as much off the ground as the F-16XL, especially when considering that engineers would probably have made at least two of those new hardpoints capable of toting a Mk. 84. Of course, that was just a guess, but thanks to your verification, I was right.
Finally, I wasn't tryin' to imply that you ever said something crazy, such as the the F-15E's 2 engines are more maintainable than the F-16XL's 1 engine. I was actually just bringing up another point to be included in our debate, the issue of maintainability. Of course, the Super Hornet is a completely different plane all - together from the F-15E, but the point that I was trying to make is that one of the things better about the F-16XL than both the F-15E and Super Hornet is that, at the very least in terms of engines, it is probably more easily maintained. That's all. I wasn't trying to insult your intelligence or anything like that.
Oh yes, and I know that all you read on the internet can't be taken serious. Shoot, I was tryin' to find the top speed for the F-16 once, and I got some crazy figures from various sites and books, ranging from 1,319 to as much as 1,500 mph. Obviously the latter figure is ludicrious, which just goes to show not all information can be trusted. As information pertains to you, however, I'm willing to trust you because I'm sure you shown me and anyone else who has looked at this thread that you indeed know very much about what you're talkin' about. As such, you DESERVE a certain level of respect and trust from me. Or at least, that's the way I feel and think it should be, :)