Also, I'm not defending the plane. Obviously it has many problems, I'm merely pointing out that its use profile is different than the F22, and the notion that t

Also, I'm not defending the plane. Obviously it has many problems, I'm merely pointing out that its use profile is different than the F22, and the notion that the F35 was ever intended to replace the F22 is an oversimplification of the DOD air dominance strategy. The F35 was meant to be a multirole fighter, but especially good at ground attack. The F22 RFP was sent out in 1986, when the country was still in the midst of the Cold War. The F22 was originally designed a response to the development new soviet fighters, which could out maneuver and out-hide F15s. The F35 was designed to replace aging fleets of multirole and ground attack fighters. This isn't "revisionist BS." If you actually go back you'll find that the two planes were designed for different uses. The DOD may have dug themselves a hole while trying to sell the plane to taxpayers by saying it will do everything better than any other jet. That was not the original intent.