The takeaway from the last 20 years, according to aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia, might well be, "You succeeded, but please don't try that again."

The F-35 At 20: How Its Successes, And Failures, Shaped The Aerospace Industry WASHINGTON: On Friday, Oct. 26, 2001, executives and employees from the nation's two biggest defense primes gathered in boardrooms and sprawling production facilities to watch a Pentagon press conference. At stake: the joint strike fighter competition, which would decide who would dominate the next 40 years of the defense aerospace industry — and rake in hundreds of billions in profits. It was a moment five years in the making. The Pentagon wanted to buy a single stealth aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps capable of three distinct operational requirements: conventional landings on a runway, landing on aircraft carriers, and performing short takeoffs and vertical landings. Read more » Breaking Defense 611 Broadway • New York, New York • 10012 unsubscribe