I don’t think any company could produce a plane like the govt is asking for.
It has to do everything for everyone.
They had a great plane, the F22 and threw it away.
They need to revive this bird.
The F22 had its own share of issues - but overall, it was probably the better choice, and yes - truckloads of $$$ were flushed down the toilet when it was cancelled.
Follow the $$$$....
Here we go again with an even more complex tri-service compromise. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps can use the same rifle. Not so with aircraft.
The mantra during F-15 design was "not one pound for air to ground". The result of this focus on air combat with no compromise is the only fighter plane in history never defeated in air combat. The F-22 could have been the next fighter to do this. So we dump it for a tri-service turd.
“They had a great plane, the F22 and threw it away.”
They should cut the F-35 buy and reopen the F-22 assembly lines. The flyaway cost for the F-35 is now right at the figure for the F-22, for a much less capable airframe.
The original F-22 buy was supposed to be for 650 planes. We ended up with 187 (now less after attrition). We should go ahead and double that number at least. The F-22 is operational now, and all-around superior to the F-35 except for the number of bombs it can carry internally. After the F-22s have cleared the battlespace of threats, any legacy fighter or bomber would do fine dropping bombs from high altitude.