Optimist? Me?
I am under no illusions that everything will just right itself. There is a great team of hard working engineers, aircrew and project managers going hammer and tongs to hold the manufacturer to account and deliver the best capability possible, as soon as possible. But there's the rub. How to balance the added delay that will come from a hard-line no-exceptions approach against having something to work with sooner?
Weather radar was added to the aircraft specifically for 171's mission; their requirements are one of the highest priorities for the Project. Black Hawk can not be retained indefinitely. It will not be one of our battlefield helicopters under AIR 9000.
If I am optimistic, it's because I have faith in the people who are working hard to see this project through. It is easy, and quite unfair to dismiss the work they are doing on this aircraft just because the timeframes and complexity are difficult to neatly encapsulate in an email on a public forum.