A recent article at the Military Times suggests its “time to bail” on the Navy version of the JSF (the F-35C).  (The online article is a lead-in to a longer story in the print version of the Military Times.)  The proposal instead is that the Navy purchase more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

This would not be the first time the Navy “bailed” on a joint program.  The F-111 was also supposed to be a joint program; the Navy bailed on the F-111 “B” and later acquired the F-14 instead.  In the 1970s, the YF-16 and YF-17 had a “fly-off” won by the YF-16.  The Navy, which was part of the program, didn’t like the single engine F-16 and instead purchased the YF-17, which became the F-18.

Both programs highlighted the drawbacks of trying to please multiple customers with competing requirements.  No aircraft that does many things can do all of them well.  One marginally successful example was the F-4, first developed by the Navy and subsequently “forced” on the Air Force, though the Air Force eventually became the largest user of the F-4, which itself became a formidable frontline Air Force fighter.

Should the Navy (or any other partner) withdraw from the JSF, the per-unit cost would increase, and the program would again suffer a resulting financial (and political) hit.