F-35 Grossly over budget and under-performing.  Lacking maneuverability, too heavy and poor operating range it is not as good as what it is replacing in many respects. Lack of range means carriers have to get closer to targets. The carriers main enemy is China. They have a solution for carriers that get too close. Dong Feng-21.  The F-35 looks like a disaster to me.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/15550/the-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-program-has-had-a-pretty-rough-week

Whatever you might think of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, it’s safe to say that the Joint Program Office hasn’t had a particularly good week. Reports of hypoxia, cyber security concerns, and the need for a major cost review followed the appearance of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit, detailing significant and increasingly expensive maintenance issues, which leaked its way to the press ahead of an official public release. Read the rest of this entry »