I am curious as to the extent to which the Super Hornet is genuinely competitive in the air-to-air combat arena. The U.S. Navy is investing heavily in this aircraft, and it is expected to fulfill all roles, including air combat. However, on one site, someone who claimed to personally know a F-15C instructor pilot in Florida - with 3000 hours on the type - said this IP told him that in DACT, while F-16s could beat him one out of three times, he beat the Super Hornet "every time". On another site, a legacy Hornet driver claimed to have similarly thrashed the SH in mock combat.

What will happen if SH's have to confront Chinese J-11s (Chinese build Su-27s) over the Taiwan Straits? Can they win or will they be hopelessly outlcassed? How will the SH stack up against other possible adversary fighters, such as the Chinese Chengdu J-10, or the MiG-35?