Here is some more thoughts on history repeating itself with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.
With the early plans of the TFX program failing to work with the fleet, the USAF ended up holding the bag. The F-111 eventually proved itself in USAF combat operations, but the procurement method was a mess. It was not the way to field a combat jet.
The distance from what the TFX program was supposed to give the U.S. military and what they eventually got is large. The result was a third of the original number of TFX aircraft at five times the cost.(1)
What ended up being the real joint service fighter in that era? The F-4 Phantom.
Those that sold the Joint Strike Fighter program to a gullible Congress are guilty of the same over-optimism. They claim they learned from past acquisition programs but that just does not show as being true.
With the severe budget problems now facing all parts of the Federal government, could the Super Hornet be the Phantom of our era? With the USAF painted into a corner of its own making and where budget is policy, I think it is possible.
-----
(1)MICHAEL E. GANTT, "STRAPPING IN AND BAILING OUT:NAVY AND AIR FORCE JOINT ACQUISITION OF AIRCRAFT", SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIRPOWER STUDIES, AIR UNIVERSITY, MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA, JUNE 2002
