They tried that in the '90s. A few contractors got into a bind, threw up their hands, and went bankrupt. From a budgetary standpoint that's fine, but when you

They tried that in the '90s. A few contractors got into a bind, threw up their hands, and went bankrupt. From a budgetary standpoint that's fine, but when you're limping along with a platform you wanted to retire a decade ago or more (the marines have been stripping museum pieces for parts to keep Harriers in the air), you can't afford another twenty year development cycle. IMO the F-35 is fine from a capability standpoint. It's just far too expensive.