how do we define susceptible I can't imagine an F18 being hit amid ships is very pretty either.
The point being that all F-18s which took hits to the engine nozzle feathers survived. The complex folding rear nozzle of the the F-35B was my area of concern.
The lift fan design used in the F-35B is totally different to the design of the AV-8B and not vulnerable to IR missiles, but the complex sequencing of dorsal and ventral doors will be also be susceptible to damage.
Damage or failure in either would presumably preclude a RVL as well as vertical.