Looks like US NAVY is still not convinced
http://the-mound-of-sound.********.b...n-eyes-of.html
Now it's the US Navy complaining that getting stuck with only the F-35 could render America's mighty carrier fleet "irrelevant." What's the navy's gripe? It's that the F-35 is no longer very stealthy. An article in the US Naval Institute News warns that the 35's intended targets, Russia and China, have made terrific progress on developing multi-band radars capable of seeing through and targeting the F-35.
The navy seems to believe it needs an "all-aspect" aircraft, a thinly veiled criticism of the F-35's stealth cloaking that is frontal aspect only. Adversaries approaching from either side, above, below or behind can detect - and attack - the F-35 just fine.
"...given the proliferation of low frequency radars, there are serious questions about the ability of the F-35C’s survivability against the toughest of air defenses." That's not pulling any punches, eh?
"All-aspect is highly desirable against this sort of networked [anti-air] environment.”
"Fundamentally, the Navy's lack of an all-aspect broadband stealth jet on the carrier flight deck is giving fuel to advocates of a high-end Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft that can tackle the toughest enemy air defenses.
"Without such capability, the Navy's carrier fleet will fade into irrelevance."