Costs to soar as US Air Force cuts order

The news on this bird just keeps getting worse and worse. I foresee an increasingly difficult gestation period.

Dr Davies said the Super Hornet, used by the US Navy, was a poor choice. Even more alarming was that this a relatively old plane could become a long-term replacement if the F-35 program collapsed, he said.

"No one else has bought the Super Hornet," he said. "Israel, Singapore and South Korea, for example, all bought variants of the F-15 instead of the Super Hornet. There is no evidence at all that a rigorous evaluation has been done by the Department of Defence or that the Super Hornet is the best solution."

I don't agree that Israel, Singapore or South Korea are analogous to our situation. None of them currently operate the F/A-18 as we do. Israel already operates the F-15 and South Korea's nearest ally, Japan, operates F-15s also, so it is only natural that they have bought interim replacement aircraft based on similar types. Our situation is unique, and although everyone claims to say that their situation is unique, we have a genuine argument. It's name is F-111.