Broadly conceived as an affordable, stealthy, replacement for the F-16, the F-35A Lightning II is a very capable fighter, but does the need for stealth compromise its ability to be a useful all-rounder?
IT’S VERY EASY to criticize a new fighter program, especially one such as the F-35, which has rewritten the rulebook when it comes to development and production. The ‘concurrent’ nature of this program means that hundreds of Lightning IIs will be in service with a host of operators before development test work is complete, let alone formal operational test and evaluation. The F-35 program turns standard development practice on its head.