How long does it take to deploy a new design now?
Not just approve it, Not just build a few and test them, but
get them into the field and operational squadron operations?

B-2 began in mid 70s and was deployed initially in 1993, hit full ompliment in
1999 or so.

F-22 was early 80s and is just now deploying operationally.

20 years is probably a good number these days.




The F22 has been going on how many years now?
And how about the F35? When do you think we will see
operational front line squadrons of either?


Maybe 2012 for JSF and 2006 for F-22?




dead lines and wishful thinking. Real deployment.

And the issues of COTs seems to be an interesting topic.
When a system is designed, it can be 3 or 4 generations of
CPU processor old by the time its really built.
With such long gestation times, what's the solution?

Buy out critical items at the end of production and hope the supply never runs
out, at least not until the avionics can be upgraded. Buy from "junkies", ie
electronic salvage firms that know DoD will need certain parts, buy them for
pennies on the dollar and sell them to DoD for dollars on the penny.



A pilots home laptop may have more computing power than
many systems in his aircraft.

May? How many 80186 processors does it take to equal a single 1 gig Pentium 4?