If the Royal Navy wants to go up against such a foe, they need more than the F-35. Sadly, their carriers can't handle anything other than the F-35. That does not make the F-35 defective.
Au contraire, for the UK the F-35 was intended to be a carrier-borne aircraft capable of
air defence of naval and ground forces and self-escorting ground attack (as set out in Staff Target 6464).
If it is unable to perform this mission, then it
is defective.