You all seemd to me to have hit the main issues with the USN right now -
somehow the Navy has thrown away its good sense and started chasing courses
of action that will reduce its ability to deal with the world threats in
only from a defensive nature.

(1) New big carriers go fast, protect themselves better, and sustain more
everything but they can't start costing $10 billion plus each

(2) The F/A-18E/F/G has re-written the maintainability and sortie generation
books but it is no more then a more capable A-7 and not even an A-6 and
surely not an F-14 despite the maintenance nightmares.

(3) Since there is not a Naval F-22, hardly can't see the Typhoon working
sensibly, and we do not want to deal with the French for the Rafale (which
is the best Naval fighter around today) - then going back and redesigning a
super-Tomcat is not a bad idea and since now with the F-15E and F-14D we
have the right engines around - go for the digital improved all - electric
Tomcat.

(4) If we drop JSF STOVL and force only one configuration CTOL and then
slide the whole program to include a decade or so development the JSF could
absorb the UCS/UCAV and work to have manned - unmanned variants which makes
more sense and helps preserve the stealth if it works to keep the internal
weapon design (say maybe include something laser by then) - but this alone
could pay for the new Tomcat and a crash program it could be

(5) Now like it or not, the move from battle ship to carrier will have
another shift down the road and that may be sub-surface so the Navy may
really find that under-sea ops will be its big hitters and the whole surface
world may have to look again at what it is and should be.

But whatever it is - the present Navy is not it