[SkyPilot]

The author is either a lobbyist for Lockheed, or does not seem to grasp that since the F-22 was cut by Obama, the hundreds of Billions we have poured into the overweight F-35 was "invested" to make it an all purpose fighter that was unmatched in the air-to-air role.

The Marines wanted it to be one thing. The Air Force another. Now that most people know it cannot ever be what it was sold as, they are making apologies for it, or trying to change the parameters of the debate (as this author did).

Two former Skunk Works members seem to know why the F-35 program is a mess

[StAnDeliver]

"The Marines wanted it to be one thing."

Cut it loose. Give it to the Marines, and let AF / Army go back to F-18 / A-10 next gens.

[chb]

They never learn. Every time they try to create an all purpose aircraft they end up with a horrifically expensive fiasco. The only good multi-purpose aircraft they ever came up with started with single purpose naval fighters which were strong enough to handle everything they could strap on to them (e.g. the F4U and the F4 Phantom).

[Jimmy Valentine]

This is the same issue we saw with the F111. McNamara insisted that one plane could do it all. It was a dog, and only found use as an electronic warfare platform.