Will the USAF Realize the Dream of the "Sponge Airplane"? Will the F-36A Kingsnake become a reality?

Important Note: The F-36A Kingsnake is a fictional airplane designed by US aviation publisher Hush-Kit. It has nothing to do with the USAF or any aircraft design company.

In recent years, the US Air Force (USAF) has been intensively searching for a fighter/bomber aircraft that will shoulder the heaviest workload of air power. The main reasons for this search have been the failure of the F-35 to meet the capacity and performance requirements targeted three decades ago, and the unpredictable military and industrial rise of China.

US air power as it was envisioned nearly thirty years ago (1993), in the post-Cold War force structure planned for today; 

 The main "air superiority" aircraft would be the F-22, which would be replaced by the 6th Generation NGAD.

 The F-15C would be used as an air superiority aircraft throughout its service life, but would no longer be modernized. F-15C variants with aging and obsolete systems would be removed from service.

 The F-15E would be used for deep strike missions, and those that had completed their service life would no longer be modernized, but would be decommissioned, handing over their missions to the F-35.

 The A-10 would also not be modernized as it reached the end of its service life, and would be decommissioned by transferring its missions to the F-35.

 The F-16, which bears the heaviest burden of the US Air Force's mission load, would be transferred to the F-35 as it completed its service life, would no longer be modernized and would be decommissioned.

However, due to the F-35's inability to fulfill what is expected of it in terms of "combat readiness rate", "activity rate", "system effectiveness", "economic maintenance and sustainment" performance criteria, and the continuous system upgrade requirements, the USAF has entered into a serious "force structure optimization" search and discussion.

The F-35's inability to fulfill its intended requirements and China's unpredictable military and industrial rise have led the USAF to seriously consider a "heavy workload of air power", with the same agile aerodynamic performance as the F-16, but with a longer operational radius range and the same agile aerodynamic performance, "aerodynamically stealthy as much as possible, extremely "cost-effective", "cost-effective to maintain", fast in design and manufacturing, with "plug-in" systems that are very suitable for upgrades, with a "very high activity rate", almost "heavy-lift", fighter and bomber aircraft. The USAF's need for such an airplane is acute and urgent.

In fact, such an airplane, which the USAF aims for "below 5th generation, above 4th generation", is "a must have for every home!!!". 

Well, it will be effective (good range, good speed, good payload capacity, some stealth capability, etc.), it will be cheap, it will be used a lot, it will fail very little, it will be easy to maintain and economical... Is a fighter/bomber that will "pull a rabbit out of a hat" possible?

Actually, an F-16 with some stealth capability, increased internal fuel capacity and more powerful engines could meet the USAF's needs. An F-16XL with a slightly improved design would be suitable for these requirements. 

For these purposes, I consider the fictitious F-36A Kingsnake design proposed by Hush-Kit as "quite possible".

Yes, the disappointing state of the F-35 and the unpredictable rise of China has put the USAF "on the offside", let's see what tactics they will develop to get out of the offside.