The F-35 will end up costing about 150 mil per plane. Too expensive to risk in actual combat. The three-in-one was supposed to make the aircraft more affordable, but it is much more expensive and less capable than the four planes it replaces. We could have just kept building F-16s, F-15s, F-18 supers and Harriers (or just done away with the whole VTOL idea which has dubious cost/benefit ratio anyway). A lot less money and we already have total air superiority around the world, with nobody building or planning to build anything better in the foreseeable future. This is part of how huge deficits come into being.

Harriers (or just done away with the whole VTOL idea which has dubious cost/benefit ratio anyway)

What they've ended up with is a grossly expensive way of creating airplanes which are less than stellar performers in all regimes. It's a little like putting over-sized tires and AWD on an expensive sports car--makes for a lousy sports car and a lousy 4-wheeler.

Cary