CM, as soon as I see someone say the f-35 has better 'stealth' than the B-2, I will tell you, until now I haven't seen it.
we talled about this back on P404 and I think by stealth he means REC given his statement
"We’ve taken it to a different level," O’Bryan said. The stealth of the production F-35—verified in radar cross section tests performed on classified western test ranges—is better than that of any aircraft other than the F-22.
I'm still waiting for you to say why you think the testing doesn't resolve what you said
I get your point, LO, but I suspect there is a tougher obstacle and that will be truly understanding what the capability is. As the design relies so heavily on its three dimensional RCS, the starting point will have to be a thorough (and honest) understanding of its detectability at various aspects against various systems. And that doesn't just mean sticking it up as Red Air in an all US exercise against F-16s in that big container just north of Area 51 where its speed disadvantage is no longer a factor. Getting that part wrong will be potentially fatal to any tactical development.
That very sensitive data is also going to have to be communicated to partner nations without the usual NOFORN deadlock. A real version and a releasable version should make for interesting times.
Bevo, in the public forum, this is all we have. general and sweeping statements