"John Carrier" wrote in message
...
The F-18E/F (which really shouldn't be called an F-18 at all ... its a new
airplane) is "good enough" to get us to the F-35. Its new. Its
functional.
Its here. Its mediocre performance is inconsequential in the overall
scheme
of things.

It would have been nice to see what would have come from a serious look at
the Tomcat-21. Grumman offered it but I don't believe it got a serious
shake, the Navy was determined to get the F-18 E/F from what I recall.