ORAC,
With the wars we have, there is no need for the politicians to pay for high end tech stuff, and with the production lead time, if one flared up you couldn't build them, you'd fight with what you had.
Wow! That is exactly a point I was going to make, you beat me to it. Even with no war and how many years in, these planes are coming out in dribbles and drabs. Why? There isn't the money...