Spaz:
I spent 25 pretty decent years in the USN, rotary and fixed wing, Naval aviator. During that time, I had the chance to both preside over and serve on a few aviation mishap boards, as I noted to a churlish poster on Rotorheads who questions the US Navy's use of the term Mishap for an accident.
I even go stuck in an acquisition job where I had to deal with the fallout of a very expensive APN-1 program playing havoc with the programs we had oversight on. The F-35 program I had a small bit of work in, early 2000's, but that was on the training systems side, not the air vehicle side.
Allusions to much of that are in a variety of threads here on Mil, as well as no few in this very thread, as has my experience on the NATO side where I had service in NATO proper. What I don't do is spam other peoples' work when I post. There, now you know. Given the number of haters in this extended discussion, it is nice to see someone with enthusiasm for the F-35, warts and all.
I had the professional opportunity to work with ship, and even serve with officers, sailors and Marines in the:
RN
Australian Navy
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force
Canadian Navy
Italian Navy
German Navy
Dutch Navy
Greek navy
Turkish Navy (and had to work for a Turk in NATO)
Spanish Navy
As well as some work with Marines, Air Forces, and Armies. Probably forgot a few, that was off the top of my head.
It was a good run, though it appears that you and I are of a slightly different vintage. I retired in 2005.
The F-35 isn't going to be canceled any time soon. It's bloody expensive, and we wont' know if it's any good until it gets into the fight: and by that point, what options will anyone have? Hope is the method (and I do hope it succeeds). All eggs in one basket: that's the decision in more than one government, hence this thread.