re: #495 Dark_Falcon

I thought the VTOL version was the B but the catapult launched version was the C. Not so?

You’ve got the lettering right, but while the Navy and Marines are politically joined at the hip, their desires for the B & C are at odds. Marines want it mostly because they badly need a Harrier replacement and have badly wanted a VTOL capable of supersonic flight for decades. The Navy wanted no part of the program to begin with, but got drug along because the DoD told them that it would have bring total costs for the program down and also because tough shit, the Air Force wants it badly and so you’re going to make do.