As Steve said, "Systems Integration". The airframe is only a part of the
modern aircraft "system". Factor in the added layers of complexity from
working with the competing and often conflicting cultures and philosophies
of multiple customers and the political influence that assures that every
state/country gets some of the action and it is a wonder that anything gets
from the design stage to actual flight!

Jack

"Charles Gray" wrote in message
...
Here's a question-- why does it take so much longer to design and
protoytpe a plane today? Between the JSF and F-22 literally decades
have gone by.
Now, granted, the JSF is orders of magnitude more complex then say
an F-4...but on the other hand, CAD/CAM tools exist that give design
and engineering staffs tools that are also orders of magnitude ahead
of what was possessed in the 1960's.
So, to the engineers in teh group, are we seeing a problem that is
basedin the designing of the planes, or the process used to create
that design, in the administrative and bueraucratic ways things are
done?