[Afterguard]

You are aware that critics said much the same thing about the Hornet, right? It wasn’t as good a fighter as the Tomcat, wasn’t as good a strike platform as the Intruder or even the A-7 Corsair. Used to call them Lawn Darts. I suspect the F-35 will turn out to be a great Strike-Fighter. It’ll just cost us a zillion bucks (more).

[Little Ray]

I hope you are correct.
All things considered, modern aircraft are so elaborate, it is amazing that get designed and built at all!

[GeronL]

wasn’t as good a strike platform as the Intruder or even the A-7 Corsair

talk about ancient

[pfflier]

I can think of many excellent weapons systems dating back to the C-5A, the F-111, the F/A-18, the B-1, the B-2, that were termed "turkeys" that would never work.

The anti-military lobby specializes in bad mouthing anything that doesn't meet their agenda. A complicit media spreads the propaganda and the general American on the street thinks they are well informed because of that.