It was no slouch. Their is a great video over on YouTube about the team and how they were stunned they lost, they thought they had a great airplane, even without thrust vectoring. The fact the RudderVators are something like 60% of the wing area ='s huge control authority. Northrup didn't do a live fire of a missile and one other thing Lockheed did that was pure marketing, that probably gave them the edge. Some have noted the 23's cockpit suite etc might have been a week spot, so that is why I mentioned graphing the 35's to it. Maybe add the diverterless supersonic inlet's to the 23 that the 35 has and IMHO it is winner winner chicken diner.
I think we get into sort of a semantic conversation on this topic. The F22 should have some of it’s systems upgraded.
That wouldn’t qualify to me as morphing it to be a blended product with the F35. (but then I’m no expert by any stretch of the imagination)
If there is a better cockpit display systems, hey it would be crazy not to incorporate that.
If some munitions related or other improvements could be incorporated, likewise.
I still think you come away with an F22 that is better, but not so much an aircraft that is half F22 and half F35.