The underlying concept of the program(1) was bad from the start, but to top it off, the thing can't fight: (TL;DR: the plane is in a catch-22 of not having eno

The underlying concept of the program(1) was bad from the start, but to top it off, the thing can't fight: (TL;DR: the plane is in a catch-22 of not having enough range when it carries enough weapons and not having enough weapons when it has enough range - you can't load dirty and fly high in contested airspace, you'll get shot right down, and if you load clean you won't have enough range to engage safely or the numbers to do so effectively) * 1000 NM radius is not enough for SE Asia, at all, certainly not for defended airspace. Flying dirty (unstealthed), it flies LOLO for terrain masking, and now you're lucky to get 500 NM. * persnickety: pre-chilled fuel; exotic conditioned electricals; 30,000 dollar CPFH + regionally specific MDF for the active LO systems * Can't stealth mount BRU-61 * Can't mount AARGM-ER/AGM-88G, AIM-260 JATM, JAGM-F, SPEAR 3, JSM, APKWS, AGM-183 ARRW, AGM-158C/D LRASM/JASSM-XR, SACM/CUDA/PEREGRINE, Hammer/Hatchet at all * Can't supersonic launch missiles because no supercruise * So now subtract 30% from your missile range - a lot of power to make a shock cone that fast. * 8 seconds (A), 16 seconds (B) and 43 seconds (C) over KPP requirement for missile sprint, during the run up to IOT&E and OPEVAL. This is super duper bad. * 4 AMRAAMS internal, and you need 3 to guarantee a kill in ECM environment. Take more than 4 and you fly low, halving the combat radius if you're lucky. * APG-81, MADL, stealth coatings were pirated in the late aughts, compromised * Offtopic, but they're not helping with the "Show The Flag" forward presence parades up and down the "Black Ditch". Free handout to PRC tech exploit teams hanging out on the trawlers sniffing all the ELINT. * Etc etc etc etc this could go on for some time, like the logistics system that's already forcing ground crews to cannibalize the few jets they have. (1) VTOL? VTOL!? Have you not noticed that the most practical form of VTOL is a hundred knot airframe WITH A GIANT FRICKIN FAN ON TOP? Also, since when is your fighter aircraft the most expensive one? They're supposed to be disposable for gods sakes.