ORAC,
I'd like to come back. I think what I said was that in my view (and that was deliberately phrased), the F-35 will be a success. I don't think I 'boasted' in any way. Sorry if I gave that impression. I stated my view. There's a difference. I try not to bash my head against walls.
On comms, the MADL link was designed to allow F-35s to fight more effectively as a team. I think it's going to do that quite well. (Note - just my view). Whether it's adopted more widely across other platforms is another matter. But at present, it's on the way to meeting the requirement it was designed for.
LO, thank you. Yes, you are quite right - the OSD plan also aimed at generating an aircraft that was more likely to meet a wide range of needs and so win export orders. Affordability was a key metric. F-22's lack of export orders shows they might have been right - again, purely my view.
Best Regards as ever to those having to make big calls in the early years,
Engines