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The View from the Cockpit

Pilots at Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base share their views on how to maintain American air superiority.

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The Last Ace

 March 2009

By Mark Bowden

"American pilots haven’t shot down many enemy jets in modern times, because few nations have dared rise to the challenge of trying to fight them. That complete dominance is eroding. Some foreign-built fighters can now match or best the F‑15 in aerial combat, and given the changing nature of the threats our country is facing and the dizzying costs of maintaining our advantage, America is choosing to give up some of the edge we’ve long enjoyed, rather than pay the price to preserve it."

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