The F-35 is a Strike Fighter (the SF in JSF) and it's not really designed to slug it out with other fighters, it's designed to deliver air to surface strikes. You don't want your $100+M JSF getting hit by a lucky shot from some old fashioned and otherwise obsolete 25 year old Russian military surplus jet. Evade, get the to the target, deliver the goods then disappear.
Wasn’t talking about JSF. Was talking about F-22.
JSF isn’t worth a darn in A/G configuration.
Should have focused on F-22 and let the F-15E carry the mail for A/G.