JTO - I'm sure that the plumbing can all be reinstalled easily. Overnight on the flight-line with a $4,999.95 mod kit, plus a couple of tubes of Amazing Goop.
MSOCS - So obviously it can't carry tanks today (as I said, present tense, "has no ability to carry drop tanks"), or until someone ponies up for complete design, development, testing and any necessary airplane mods, which nobody wants to do. It's not a question of "hey, tanks would be useful, someone get on the phone to Cobham and order 48 sets for overnight delivery." You could have clarified that in the first place before posting a condescending and insulting response.
However, the excuse about fuel fraction is significant. On most fighters, ~40 per cent more fuel is considered pretty useful - so why isn't it worthwhile for JSF, given that it is likely to be called on to operate in a lot of less-than-max-threat environments? Could it be that the L/D falls off a cliff above the clean gross weight?
Last edited by George K Lee; 2nd Apr 2017 at 16:29.