The key point (at least in my view) is that the US has 'bet the farm' on the F-35. It will be made to work, and (again my own view) it will be a very successful aircraft, mainly due to its highly advanced.... communications,
Ummmm. MADL which can't talk to any other platform and, until some future block has no SATCOM? As a result of which standalone, non-stealthy, datalink/comms platforms are going to have to be procured? Which have to penetrate far enough up threat to relay the F-35 gathered int to other platforms?
I could go on, and the problem is similar to that of the F-22 which prevented it being deployed on joint ops for decades ( and the 30 year saga of rolling out L16 etc). But to boast about it as a
success.....
