Engines,
With regards to your
There are a few contributors here who seem to have a default position of 'F-35 is stupid, people who designed it are stupid, it's all wrong or stupid.
LO is right in that it isn't the aircraft per say, that people take issue with; rather the fact that we have been convinced that it is capable of a certain specification at a certain price, and both of these variables seem to be getting blown out of the water at such an early stage in the testing.
What seems apparent to me, is that the IOC is slowly but surely moving ever closer to being after 2020 and I think the big question that most skeptics are concerning themselves with is whether it is really worth the equivalent 4.5 generation numbers and capability to get this jet, especially if it's going to be in its least capable format and delayed by 10 years.
No-one is doubting that the F35 is an incredible example of engineering, particularly dave B, but looking at it from a practical sense, I find myself questioning whether that stealth (and hovering ability, if we do take the ridiculous decision to go back to the B) is worth the poor serviceability and small numbers...plus all the other hardware we've sacrificed for it.