KenV.... IF it later failed to meet real world operational needs, that was not the fault of the designers and builders, but of the government folks who set down the requirements.....
I think the EE Lightning met the original requirements just fine, it just got surpassed by the passage of time, lack of upgrades and some inherit limitations. You can not blame the government folks who set down the original requirements if the aircraft is no longer first tier decades later.
Yes we can blame the requirements folks for a lot of things, especially if it leads to an unachievable or severely compromised design (and the F-35 may fit that) but operational needs do change over time.
And even a hint of criticizing the EE lightning on a forum with many UK folks is treading into dangerous waters
I do see it is as the iconic RAF cold war jet with blistering power/speed, but with some significant con's as well.