ftrplt,
" it's showing great promise in many areas, the radar's better than most of us dared expect at this stage, credible solutions to many of the problems are in place and the serviceability has allowed a phenomenal flying rate."
That's the key point. Better radar performance than expected at this stage. No sorties lost to radar snags. Better than expected MTBF, lower than expected MMH/FH, etc. That's VERY different to F-22.
And the lack of weapons has more to do with the arcane procedures still being used in order to expant the RTS/MAR than with an inherent problem. Test aircraft have fired IRIS-T, Winder and AMRAAM, and have carried Paveway II. That's very different to F-22, too.
"Lucky its a 'great flying machine' though."
I don't want to nitpick with such a selective quoter (I said it "sounds as though it's a great flying machine" - how would a journo who hasn't flown it be able to say that it was - I can only pass on what people who have flown it have said). Presumably you think it would be a better aircraft if it was a sluggish, slow, unmanoeuvrable, tortoise that the pilots hated? You'll be pleased that the JSF which Oz has ordered is so dramatically overweight, but perhaps you should press for a STOVL JSF buy - that's even more bloated....