Steve made this comment on an earlier post.
F-35 cops a lot flack for development delays - but as I recall it is no worse than the F-22 whose X moodel first flew in 89/90 but did not reach IOC until about '05. The Eurofighter X-model first flew about '86 and did not reach IOC - in only a limited air-air mode - until about '04. The Rafael was not much different.And that boys and girls is the real issue with the F-35. Once it begins serial - full rate production, then its Katy bar the door! The costs of the airplane will drop dramatically. Nations will clamor for the airplane and the Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen and Super Hornet will be shut out of the fighter market. This could be the swan song for some aircraft manufacturers.
Yet I cannot recall Bill Sweetman et al giving anything like the grief to those earlier fighters that they now give to the F-35. And before someone tells me that the F-35 is much bigger program, the issue here is development cos' once development is completed, the production ccosts usually come down e.g. F-22.
That's Bill's fear.
That's Boeing's fear.
That the European Aircraft Manufacturer's fear.
And that explains why so much venom is being tossed at this program. Effectiveness be damned. Its all about protecting territory and market share.