This whole piece ignores the (extremely substantial) costs of RDT&Eing a new Tomcat, and it wouldn't enter the fleet until 2012 at the earliest.
Once again, NAVAIR partisans push for an airplane that the budget will not support. Didn't we learn our lesson with the A-12?
Can't argue with the financials, but can the bean counters justify downgrading EVERY CAG in the fleet? What's the justification for that?
Unless of course the Super Hornet can be made truly Super.