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Reports of the ‘Failure’ of the F-35 are Premature and Exaggerated

A US Air Force F-35A Lightning II of the 34th Fighter Squadron

A US Air Force F-35A Lightning II of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Red Flag. Photographer: Tomás Del Coro (Licence: Wikimedia Commons).


The announcement that a forthcoming US Air Force TacAir study will include an assessment of a new clean sheet design to replace the F-16 has led many to label the F-35 a failure. While it is certainly an important change in public messaging, the underlying dynamics do not support this interpretation.

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WRITTEN BY

Professor Justin Bronk

Senior Research Fellow, Airpower & Technology

Military Sciences

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