I generally agree. However, I have to ask how much are the F-35 fans on this forum attempting to suppress the naysayers here?
And to cut short any misunderstanding by the many adherents of the anti F-35 religion, don't count me as a fan of the F-35. I take a similar approach to F-35 as USN. It provides some impressive new capabilities including making existing platforms more capable, but it is no panacea by any stretch. It's a new tool and pretty cool, but only one tool in a big box of many tools. And its coolness notwithstanding, it's expensive and way late to the party.
And yes, I understand that for some air arms it's the only tool. But I believe one should not blame that on the airplane or the folks building it. Many air arms have been content for decades to have a single tool. Some the A-4, some the F-4, some the F-5, some the F-16, some the Harrier (the Harrier!!).
There, I've done it. I've questioned those who embrace the Harrier orthodoxy.
