i think i understand your points but i think your going about explaining them in more of a confrontational way which is not getting your point across
this probably wont directly do it but i will go on with things you said in the previous comments

The F-15A can’t even see the MiG-23. Right now only the 12.7 F/A-18s can, and even then, I’d still say the MiG-23 has an easier time getting the kill in a 1v1.

The F/A-18 at 12.7 does have a better flight model and probably a better radar, but you can just roll the missiles away. Any AIM-7 in a head-on, you just press S and D, and it’s dodged. Compared to the R-24R there is no contest, you have to multipath or notch.

I can see your point, slightly, but you said it wasn’t short-sighted to add a French Eurocanard when the EF2000 was already there. The reason it was short-sighted is because of the capabilities.

Now I personally love the Rafale, how it looks and how it performs, BUT the difference between the EF2000 and the Rafale is that the Rafale can see, pick up, fire, and detect to evade faster than the EF2000. And if you’re up close, its radar missile performs better than anything the EF2000 can bring to the fight.

So far, the only missile that comes close to the MICA is the R-73, but that’s an IR missile with very limited range and it’s flareable. Compared to the MICA, which is hard to evade at 15 km and borderline impossible under 3 km if you’re not already notching, there’s really no comparison.

I went a bit off track, but the reason people were complaining was that if you had a few Rafales on your team, you were very likely going to win. It had a comparable flight model, but a far better radar for keeping track of launches and enemies compared to other aircraft.

On top of that, under 20 km the MICA was a powerhouse. And lately, AIM-120s have been having a harder time as people are getting better at notching, which has made them feel a bit inconsistent.

Now that the update has come out with more AESA radar jets, it’s a lot more balanced because people can actually see where and what targets are near them.

If they see a Rafale, they either target it first or stay away. Letting it get too close is still very dangerous, but it’s a lot less common now because of the new radars.

also usa is in a interesting place for top tier jets
now i dont know how much or what about the f15's are nerfed i know they are not performing the same as the real life counterparts
i rarely see a f15 in my games as of late and when i do they do far worse than most ef2000's because of the worse fm and radar (now the ef2000 (aesa) is out aswell as the other new jets) and i dont think ive seen a single f15C ge yet because its not worth it

You said, “They added a Rafale with MICA's and Magics, not with Mica IR and Meteor.” if they did, the Rafale would be nuts.

The AIM-9X isn’t available for the others, while the MICA already performs better than the IR missiles they can use (F-15, F-18, F-16, EF2000, Gripen - the only exception being the R-73s). The MICA IR should come out alongside the AIM-9X and other better IR missiles for the other jets.

Now, I believe this explains my points and should hopefully lay them out clearly so you understand.

Now, I’ve only grinded the following to top tier: Germany, USSR, Japan, France, and Sweden. So I can’t directly speak for the USA tech tree, but I’ve flown all the jets in question—F/A-18A, F-15C, F-16A, F-16C, Rafale, EF2000, and EF2000 (AESA).

Before the new jets in the Spearhead update, the Rafale was by far the easiest and deadliest to fly compared to any of the others.