re: #537 Shiplord Kirel
The idea that commonality will save development cost has been proven fallacious over and over but it has an irresistible attraction for each new generation of managerial whiz-kids. Commonality is possible, as the F-4 showed, but only when it wasn’t a factor in the original development.
It’s possible to design aircraft for commonality, but generally only when the mission requirements are similar enough that designing two different versions is simply a matter of changing a few parts. Generally speaking, turning a fighter into a bomber is much, MUCH easier than turning a bomber into a fighter.