once again, government efficiency at its finest...

waste a lot of money and end up with something inferior to what it is suppose to be superseding...

There is no reason that the money spent on development of new A/C should cost a fraction of what it does.. ( re $600 hammers and $1200 toilet seats type of expenses)...

and here we have had plenty of good A/C that technology hasn't advanced beyond, for the job they do.. and the development and tooling costs were already paid for...yet instead of making new ones, they spend how much upgrading high mileage airframes...

and this one A/C theory for multiple roles.. McNamara tried that way back in the 60s trying to develop the F 111 to be used by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines...to save a buck.. and that turned out to be a financial disaster instead...

they never learn...

meanwhile our pilots end up with high buck junk that is a jackoff of all trades and master of none, yet costs a fortune to maintain...