They say new satellite-based air traffic management systems being implemented in the United States, Asia and Europe in coming years will make it easier to track airplanes and monitor aircraft systems in flight, but note it will take a decade or more before the systems are commonplace worldwide. Streaming the huge amounts of data now collected by flight data recorders may also pose technical challenges, while transmission of cockpit voice recordings could raise privacy concerns, said analyst Richard Aboulafia with the Teal Group.

Airlines like the plane because it is capable of flying extremely long distances thanks to two giant engines. Each engine is so massive that a row of at least five coach seats could fit inside it. By having just two engines, the plane burns through less fuel than four-engine jets, like the Boeing 747, which it has essentially replaced. “It has provided a new standard in both efficiency and safety,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation consultant with the Teal Group. “The 777 has enjoyed one of the safest records of any jetliner built.”

Without more Super Hornet orders, whether from the Navy or foreign nations, the El Segundo plant could close by the end of 2016. “What you’re looking at is the end of California as a fixed-wing manufacturer,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Teal Group Corp. in Fairfax, Va. “It’s been coming for some time and, sadly, there are not a lot of possibilities for changing that outcome.”

Unlike with the Global Hawk/U-2 fight, where only one platform could be funded, the F-35 is guaranteed to receive investment dollars. It’s not a question of which to cut, but rather if the A-10 should be kept around. The Global Hawk “might just be a unique beast, because there are two similar ways of doing the mission,” said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group. “It really comes down to budget more than operational doctrine.”

In August, the F-35B performed its first night vertical landing aboard WASP. This type of capability would “suit Singapore future procurement plans,” Thayer said. But not everyone is sold on the idea. “I’m sure it has its appeal, not just from a power-projection and anti-piracy perspective but also from a force survivability standpoint,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president for analysis at the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va. “But it would add considerably to Singapore’s F-35 acquisition bill.” Costs could increase as much as 25 percent to buy and operate the F-35B relative to the standard takeoff version. This would mean fewer planes, Aboulafia said.