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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: penroc3
At this point it's in the same boat as restarting the F-22 line. It would cost them at least as much as a clean sheet design to rebuild the tooling, modernize it, redesign it to their specifications, etc.
originally posted by: RadioRobert
You'd go with the F119, I'm sure. The F135 is a derivative of the F119 already, but the F135 is longer, and you'd have to figure out if the nozzle could take the heat, how much strength/weight you need to add structurally.
I imagine it'd be tempting to try to shoehorn in the extra thrust and take advantage of the existing supply line(s) for the F135, but I don't know that you could do it without a major redesign aft. Seems cheaper/faster, etc to minimize planform, structural, aero changes.