From a1b's link:
"the F-35 is an evolution in air superiority."
So it IS an air superiority fighter. Won't be needing F-22 anymore then.
Courtney makes a good point. However, I'd like to make 2 points:
1. "An evolution in air superiority" is NOT the same thing as ""an evolution in air superiority fighters." The difference is subtle, but
very significant. We need to be more cautious about what we read into such statements.
2. Calling the F-35 an air superiority fighter (which I don't believe the above statement did) and even using it as an air superiority fighter does not make it one. The Tornado and Thunderchief come to mind. Yes you can call them and even use them as air superiority fighters, but neither were real fighters, much less air superiority fighters. The F-35 was never designed as an air superiority fighter. It was designed as a self-escorting strike aircraft. It's optimized for the air-to-ground role, with a very good, (many say dominating) BVR air-to-air capability and a competent but not dominating close-in A2A capability.