What if the US retained separate planes for separate branches of the military?

[exclaimedleech8]

If the Pentagon had realized that trying to build a fighter jet to satisfy both the Navy and Air Force would end in tears, what would we likely have wound up with separate 5th generation fighters for each?

 

[Dilandu]

Two more failed programs, because both services would be trying to make their "dream fighter" on rather limited budget.

 

[Colonial-Marine]

The USAF might get something somewhat similar to the F-35A, maybe a bit longer and slimmer, still primarily strike focused.
With the USN I'm somewhat doubtful they'd be able to decide upon what they want and then have it successfully developed and fielded, this is based on their poor record here going as far back as the A-12 Avenger II.
The USMC would be in a bad spot once their Harriers run out of spare parts.

 

[Dilandu]

While F-35 program could be criticized a lot, at least from industrial point of view it is clear and great sucsess - it produced so many planes, that US fleet of modern, stealth, supersonic fighter-bombers is still greater than of all other nations combined. And quantity is a quality of its own (c, Stalin). I doubt very much that separate programs of USAF and USN would be able to produce even a third of the number of F-35 by now.

 

[exclaimedleech8]

While F-35 program could be criticized a lot, at least from industrial point of view it is clear and great sucsess - it produced so many planes, that US fleet of modern, stealth, supersonic fighter-bombers is still greater than of all other nations combined. And quantity is a quality of its own (c, Stalin). I doubt very much that separate programs of USAF and USN would be able to produce even a third of the number of F-35 by now.

Most F-35s aren't able to fly at any given time.

 

[Desertfox]

While F-35 program could be criticized a lot, at least from industrial point of view it is clear and great success - it produced so many planes, that US fleet of modern, stealth, supersonic fighter-bombers is still greater than of all other nations combined. And quantity is a quality of its own (c, Stalin). I doubt very much that separate programs of USAF and USN would be able to produce even a third of the number of F-35 by now.

The USAF would have likely gotten the McD JSF version faster, cheaper, and better. Likely would have sold even better than the F-35.

Navy probably out of luck but you get F/A-XX sooner.

Marines maybe get lucky and get Harrier 21.

 

[yeetmahboi]

Well if the military was that smart.
The USAF would’ve gotten their full run of F-22s in both interceptor and fighter bomber forms while upgraded F-15Es and F-16s fill the lower end gap.
The USN would’ve gotten a proper stealth strike fighter by 2010 and sign off the lower end to a combination of UAS and F-18s kept alive on a shoestring budget. The marines get Harrier 21.

Alternatively the Marines and NAVAIR could cobble together a low end 5th gen multi role bird and get to drag the USAF along. Refurbed F110s, KF-21 IWB, OTS avionics where possible. If you’re trying to get stats down to 60-70% and not 99 then with the tools and materials available the US could’ve built a moderately effective LO bird with competitive life cycle cost.

 

[Ainen]

While F-35 program could be criticized a lot, at least from industrial point of view it is clear and great sucsess - it produced so many planes, that US fleet of modern, stealth, supersonic fighter-bombers is still greater than of all other nations combined. And quantity is a quality of its own (c, Stalin). I doubt very much that separate programs of USAF and USN would be able to produce even a third of the number of F-35 by now.

That's a very narrow interpretation - as only US to date even manufacturers one.
With stealth jets in general it isn't true any longer.

If the Pentagon had realized that trying to build a fighter jet to satisfy both the Navy and Air Force would end in tears, what would we likely have wound up with separate 5th generation fighters for each?

USAF more or less got what they wanted. USAF iirc also had some length limits(though less strict than the definitive one), so result probably will be somewhat faster.
USN gets nothing at that turn, but overall they'd probably get their own program sooner.
USMC... maybe advanced harriers and retention of USMC-centric marine air(rather than F-35 centric USMC).

 

[JudgeKing]

The USAF would have likely gotten the McD JSF version faster, cheaper, and better. Likely would have sold even better than the F-35.

Navy probably out of luck but you get F/A-XX sooner.

Marines maybe get lucky and get Harrier 21.

What about the A/F-X for the USN?

 

[Scott Kenny]

If the Pentagon had realized that trying to build a fighter jet to satisfy both the Navy and Air Force would end in tears, what would we likely have wound up with separate 5th generation fighters for each?

I mean, originally the plan was USAF and USMC share a design, USN gets A/F-X and A-12.

Now, if all three got their own design:

• USAF gets something like the MDD-BAE JSF proposal, the one with ruddervators.
• USN gets A/F-X and (N-G) A-12, no light strike fighters at all because they're running 2 squadrons of A/F-X and 2 squadrons of A-12 per wing.
• USMC gets either Harrier 21 or BAE P.1216. (Too bad the P1214 with forward-swept wings was a decoy design)

What about the A/F-X for the USN?

That's basically what FAXX is, though with a slightly different first-priority. A/F-X was an attacker first, fighter second (same priority as Hornet). F/A-XX is a fighter first, attacker second (same priority as Tomcat).

 

[exclaimedleech8]

I mean, originally the plan was USAF and USMC share a design, USN gets A/F-X and A-12.

Now, if all three got their own design:

• USAF gets something like the MDD-BAE JSF proposal, the one with ruddervators.
• USN gets A/F-X and (N-G) A-12, no light strike fighters at all because they're running 2 squadrons of A/F-X and 2 squadrons of A-12 per wing.
• USMC gets either Harrier 21 or BAE P.1216. (Too bad the P1214 with forward-swept wings was a decoy design)

That's basically what FAXX is, though with a slightly different first-priority. A/F-X was an attacker first, fighter second (same priority as Hornet). F/A-XX is a fighter first, attacker second (same priority as Tomcat).

Those are just the F/A-XX of life