re: #111 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds

Says who? The boys at Lockheed? The Air Force brass looking to get a brand new toy? The damned thing’s a waste of money and resources that even the boys on Capital Hill who usually can’t say no to a defense program are beginning to question if it’ll ever enter service and what the eventual price tag will look like.

Throughout the history of aerial combat, the successful strategy has always been to have two “fighter” types; one for air superiority and one for attack.
Sometimes, the same aircraft is configured to fulfill one role while others of the same type fulfill the other - but the combination of both roles on one aircraft is not optimal, it requires the sacrifice of capabilities from both roles.
And in the requirements for carrier-based or Marine (VTOL) operations, you’ve now added a third role.

The JSF program just might be one where too many mission requirements are being placed on one airframe.