If the next game doesn't include aircraft outside of the US, EU, Japan, and Russia, and is mainly comprised of "3rd" and "4th gen" fighters, I'll be extremely disappointed.

I really can't emphasize this enough. I think with all the new aircraft that have flown since the release of AC7, Project Aces has the opportunity to really shake up the roster of the next game in a way they've never really been able to do before. Not only do we have the J-10, JF-17, J-20, and J-35 from China, but the Tejas from India, KF-21 and FA-50 from South Korea, and the Kaan from Turkey. I know a lot of folks are really attached to certain planes that have been mainstays throughout the series like the F-4, F-16, MiG-29, F-15, Su-27, etc. but unless the next game is a prequel we're going to be coming up on where Ace Combat 3 is at in the timeline. It's making less and less sense for these planes to be on the front lines. Here's how I'm thinking this should work:

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the F-5E, but I don't think it should be in the next game. By the late 2020s and 2030s with the in-universe pace of technological development this plane should be in a museum alongside other starting aircraft from previous games. Training squadrons should be flying "fourth gen" planes or T-7s, FA-50s, and Yak-130s. Likewise the starting aircraft should be where the older "fourth gen" planes are, and even then I don't think the older variants of those aircraft should be in the game at all. It's time for the F-16C, F-15C, MiG-29, and Su-27 to gracefully bow out the way the F/A-18C has to make way for their upgraded variants to become the new base. Additionally we can bring in the JF-17, Tejas, and the aforementioned trainer aircraft to diversify the early game roster.

On top of this new base the mid-tier roster of aircraft can be hugely diversified. Alongside existing favorites like the MiG-35, F-15E, Rafale, Typhoon, F/A-18E, and Su-37, this is where we can also include the J-10C, KF-21, Kaan, and J-35. We can also move older high tier planes like the Su-47, YF-23, F-35, MiG-1.44, and F-22A into the mid tier.

So for the high tier, alongside the obligatory fictional superplanes, we can have a really fun roster of in-service and experimental aircraft. Rather than have the F-22A be the endgame US aircraft, I propose that this role should be shared by the FB-22 and X-44 MANTA. I don't think the F-47 would or should be in the game since we hardly know anything about it beyond "it has canards". Keeping with this theme of upgraded variants of stealth aircraft, the Su-57M should be Russia's endgame representation, and the J-20A and J-20S for China. Like with the F-47, I don't think the two stealth aircraft spotted in China recently would or should be included. Leave those for the definitely happening Ace Combat 3 remake or sequel in the future.

To be clear I'm not expecting the next game to have all this, this is just a bit of "if I were in charge" speculative fun. I'll just be disappointed if it's another round of Western planes with a pinch of Russia. Chinese aircraft at the very least should be included, if not for any geopolitical reasons, then because (in keeping with the Ace Combat way) they're sick as hell and I want 'em.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk.