The F-35 isn't a dogfighter in the WW2 mold of the P-51 Mustang, etc. The F-35 was conceived of for a different kind of fight, more like a contest of swarms th

The F-35 isn't a dogfighter in the WW2 mold of the P-51 Mustang, etc. The F-35 was conceived of for a different kind of fight, more like a contest of swarms than a series of related but independent jousts. The F-35 is formidable because it works better in a pack than anything else out there. For example, it can fly out ahead of a mass of 4th generation fighters into an environment they couldn't survive and remain there, low-observable, long enough to feed targeting data back to the swarm who can launch a salvo of missiles from over the horizon, out of harm's way. As the article explains, stealth isn't about remaining 100% invisible, which is impossible, rather it's about preventing anyone from shooting while you get the first shot off instead. Whether or not the F-35 lives up to this hope is another thing, but it was never conceived of as primarily a dominant dogfighter so it's fun but maybe not hugely relevant to stack it up against planes that were designed to win that fight. The F-35 seeks to win it before it even starts, instead. It remains to be seen if anything was learned from the F-4's introduction and if all of this works against peer states, but this is the idea behind it.