They tried to make the F111-B (Screw you Robert F—ing McNamara) a plane that would do everything well. It did none of them well.
The idiots are trying to do it again. They will have the same result.
It is supposed to be stealth. The problem with stealth is the ability to detect stealth with sophisticated look down AWACs is much cheaper than the stealth technology.
In effect we have a less effective fighting platform at a much greater cost that can be shot down with much less investment from the opposing side.
If I were the bad guy I would much rather face one stealth than 10 F-16s. If I had 10 F-16s trying to shoot down the one stealth. Economics determine how many war planes you can have and the cost of the warplanes determine the number.
We bankrupted the Soviet Union through costly weapons development and won the cold war!
Yipee!
Now why are we now trying to do the same thing to ourselves?
Quantity has a quality all its own. I expect the future will consist of swarms of semi-autonomous drones, possibly with each swarm coordinated by a manned single aircraft. Fewer pilots to lose/train, cheaper airframes, better numbers.