Salute!
In all fairness, I feel curtailing the F-22 procurement was not due to the F-35 or any other acquisition.
1) The contract for the doggone thing was awarded in 1991 or so, right? Then first flight 1997, and production models a fewe years later
2) The cost kept going up and up.. compare to the F-35 which today, in today dollars, cost about half of the Raptor back 15 years ago!
3) The F-16 went from a flyoff prototype in 1974 to contract award in 1975 to operational jets at Hill AFB in 1979, and I was in the cadre.
4) I am mystsified by any USAF military official talking about reducing the F-35 buy to afford development of the " next grenration air dominance " machines that won't be around for another ten years. The Raptors are exotic and can do things you will not believe if you have not seen a demo. They have super avionics, but not as super as the F-35, and amazing aero performance for a big plane. But the govment couldn't take the price tags and the threat was a bit different than 15 years before....
5) I have yet to see the "founding" papers for the NGAD machine - the statement of operational need, the required operational capabilities, the threat environments the thing has to face, and the beat goes on..... The phrase sounds good, but the phrase used to justify the F-15 and F-16 40 years ago was more realistic and we got two really good planes.
Gums sends...