Jetex Jim,
I don't know whether to be exasperated or amused by the way you've interpreted Bill Sweetman's article.
Are you saying that an aircraft that can stealthily approach enemy fighters and put 4 AIM-120C7s into them doesn't have an air combat capability??? Can I have some of what you're smoking? I'm sure the enemy pilot's last words won't be 'well if you didn't kill me with an AIM-120D, it doesn't count'.
What part of being able to take-off and land from a carrier makes it not carrier capable??? If you apply the more demanding UK criteria of what a 'hot day' is, then you might have to do an SRVL to bring aboard your full warload and several thousand lb of fuel. So it's not an issue for training, it's not an issue in high-intensity ops when you're expending your ordnance, and you only have to SRVL on a really hot, really low pressure day if you want/need to hold a load of diversion fuel. So what's your beef with the carrier capability? Sounds as good as an F-18C or AV-8B, if not significantly better, to me.
The jet may be a bit heavier than we hoped, but I can assure you that people at Lockheed haven't just thrown their hands up in the air and given up on finding ways to trim the last few pounds of excess off the airframe.
And if you think that the US only being able to afford to buy 83 a year for their Forces, for the next 25+ years to build up a fleet of 2500 airframes is 'going a little cool', I can't tell you how much I wish the UK would 'go a little cool' on it.
If you compare the JSF programme to our most recent success, the Typhoon, there are a couple of points to make. Two years ago the first flight for BF-1 was set as May/June 08. It made that deadline and is running about 3 months behind due to the engine snag. Well, compared to Typhoon, that means we've got another 51 months of slip before we match them. Typhoon costs went from £7 billion to £20billion to £'we can't tell you how many for commercial sensitivity' billion. JSF has an extremely long way to go to match that kind of inflation. And probably most important of all is that when you get your first Sqn of Block III F-35s, they'll be full-up air-air and air-ground aircraft. You won't have to wait 5 years post-delivery for one of them to drop one bomb that's being spiked by another aircraft type to declare themselves multi-role. Sales pitch off now.
Regards,
Single Seat, Single Engine, The Only Way To Fly