How the hell is F-35 the best?
It is inferior to best 4th gen legacy fighters in terms of flight characteristics.
Lower radar crossection and STOL capabilities are not the most critical specs.
Stealth countermeasures are on the rise with more and more sophisticated optical sensors.
Mig-21 of F-5 with proper avionics suite and good missiles could be a match soon.
I can’t figure out what is so great about the F-35. As far as I can tell, it won’t be nearly as capable as the F-22 and may end up costing more to boot.
The silly thing may have its hands full with newer Russian fighters like the Su-35 and the up coming T-50.
I think the American tax payer is about to get ripped off....big time.
“How the hell is F-35 the best?”
That’s a very good question, since the cost of the F-22 is now within spitting distance of the F-35. The F-22 is a far superior fighter, and there are better options for air-to-ground ordinance delivery than the F-35.
I’d like to see a new run of (perhaps stealthified) B-1s, using the Raptor engines. Include an AMRAAM launcher for air-to-air capability. Supercruise, massive firepower against both the air and ground - what’s not to like? It would be a fitting bomber match for F-22 escorts, and development should be relatively easy and cheap.