I was at the Nellis Air show early in 2017.I saw the F35 on the ground close up and saw it flying. Its internal area for carrying armaments looked to be about the length and depth of an eight foot pickup bed. When it flew it only took off and landed while the F22, F16, and F15 put on an acrobatic spectacle.
The final air act of the day featured the F22, F35, and the Korean War vintage F86 flying in formation. I asked a active Air Force pilot why the F22 and F35 didn’t fly with the WWII P51 Mustangs that were part of the show. He said the F35 can’t fly that slow.
I talked to all the active pilots that flew the other aircraft about the F35 and all were mum about the F35 with none praising it or critizing it. The F35 pilots liked their plane but I did note lesser enthusiasm with them than the other pilots and their planes.
I was left me with the impression that the F35 might indeed be an excellent air superiority fighter due to its stealth, missles and electronics but I believe it just doesn’t have the payload capacity and flying characteristics to serve effectively as a fighter bomber or ground support aircraft.
It could be a disastrous decision for the military to put all their eggs in a F35 basket.
Trying to make one airframe do all three roles equally well makes as much sense as having an NFL defensive tackle routinely run wide receiver routes and kick field goals.
Get the best person for the job and the best airframe for that particular job.
just a note: the F-22 and F-35 are both concieved and manufactured by the same company Lockheed Martin. The same group that made the SR-71. Jusy sayin...