F-35 Cancelled, then what ?

[LowObservable]

KenV - Are you trying out for a Coen brothers' movie?

This is what you actually posted: "And regarding the F-16 Block 60+/F-16V which is currently available to many Air Forces, many of those Air Forces are choosing the F-35 instead. I'm reasonably confident there is a very good reason for that, and that reason is not the oft repeated claim that LM lies thru its teeth and the various national procurement authorities are just too naive to see it."

Then you get all smug and offended because you really meant Israel. Korea and Japan, even though that was not what you said and none of them had been offered the F-16. I'm sure Tourist will spring to your defense, but this is just one of many examples of why you don't get respect: when your arguments are challenged, you retrospectively change them (Oh my, I didn't really mean to say there was a Gen4 helmet that would solve all the problems).

In any event, Israel is by all appearances buying the F-35 as a stealthy light bomber, its star role, and isn't using its own money. Korea's acquisition professionals selected the F-15 over the F-35 and were overruled by politicians. Japan's history included a fake Jaguar and an incredibly expensive Super F-16. Yah shur that.

I don't quite see F-35 sinking to the depths of DDG-1000 fail. The concern is that it will be so costly to buy and operate that it will force reductions in numbers without delivering capability, and that by the time it is fixed its key advantage will have been partially or completely negated by radar improvements.