I'm pretty sure the B was at, or near, maximum specified allowable weight,
At or near max
specified weight and "maxed out with little margin for growth" are two vastly different things. The Super Hornet was delivered slightly above
specified weight, but the specification included lots of growth margin. Are you claiming the B weight spec includes zero growth margin? If that is so (which seems doubtful), then that is (once again) the fault of the government requirements folks, not the contractor.