Originally Posted by
etudiant
I've not found any documented evaluations, but the X-32 was clearly nowhere near ready for showtime, irrespective of the F-35s qualities.
The images of the X-32 attempting VTOL stripped of even the chin air intake duct to reduce the airframe weight really showed that 'the emperor (Boeing) had no clothes'.
Obviously there were a lot of factors involved in the competition and in the formal evaluation, but throughout the competition the general view was that if the risks associated with the X-35 lift fan could be overcome satisfactorily the X-32 would be hard pressed to compete. That proved to be the case, even when allowing for the relative lack of engineering maturity of the latter.