Originally Posted by Stuffy
Any thoughts about the Boeing VSTOL that lost to the F35?
The one with a lower payload margin for a vertical landing?
The one with the need to change wing-form from a modified delta in its "X" version to a conventional wing/tail surface layout for the developmental version (and thus much greater risk of even more delays and cost increases than the Lockheed version has seen)?
Yes, the lift-nozzle scheme was a bit simpler... but its not like the lift-fan in the F-35B has shown reliability issues (once they got the doors sorted anyway).
The one with a MUCH greater vulnerability to FOD, thanks to that ground-scraping maw?