http://www.defenseone.com/management...itial-continue
http://gizmodo.com/inside-the-pentag...men-1325863089
My favorite quote:
The political process that keeps the Joint Strike Fighter airborne has never stalled. The program was designed to spread money so far and so wide—at last count, among some 1,400 separate subcontractors, strategically dispersed among key congressional districts—that no matter how many cost overruns, blown deadlines, or serious design flaws, it would be immune to termination. It was, as bureaucrats say, “politically engineered.”
Now the trick here is, I am sure China is frightened by the power of the new F-35, but by the time you get these guys in to mass numbers, you are looking at a bill for about a trillion dollars. On a plane that started in 2001....and would likely to pose a threat to China/Russia/AL Qudea by 2016-2019 (depend on how pessimistic you are)
And main while, drone technology is getting better and better for a fraction of the cost.