Defence procurement creates one-way doors

Armed forces approach radical change cautiously because a failed decision can cost lives and wars. Modern procurement magnifies that caution: each design, fleet-size, and production decision may close off alternatives for decades. Cutting the Type 45 buy spread fixed development costs over six ships and dismantled the learning and tooling needed for cheap follow-on hulls. Likewise, the F-35 became the only production system available at the required scale for allied naval aviation, so choosing a different path would require a new programme rather than a simple purchase. The Seafire supplies the historical warning that adapting a land fighter for carrier service need not be straightforward.