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We get the aircraft we can afford. Or we get no aircraft. Those are your choices. Congress is unwilling to fund anything as expensive as the Super-Duper Tomcat would be.

Would that be the $100M F-22 or the $60M JSF?

Figure on the Super Duper Tomcat running at about $150 million. Still wanna play?

NAVAIR can afford, at most, one and a half new aircraft programs on top of the Super Hornet and JSF. The Super 'Tron Hornet (EA-18, replacing the EA-6B) would be the "half." The most urgent requirement for NAVAIR is an S-3/C-2 replacement, and the E-2 is getting long in the tooth as well. We have not funded any such replacement--and if we don't start NOW, we're going to have a Navy that requires Air Force tanker support, Air Force AWACS support, and the Air Force is going to have to take up outer zone ASW patrols for the carrier AND perform the COD mission as well, just to keep NAVAIR "viable."

"Jointness" only goes so far--the Navy seems to be expecting everyone else to take up THEIR unique missions for them. Ain't gonna happen.