>That means it doesn't have the full mission systems suite a combat capable F-35 has. This was the equivalent of flying with both hands tied behind your back.

>That means it doesn't have the full mission systems suite a combat capable F-35 has. This was the equivalent of flying with both hands tied behind your back. Isn't this the entire problem with this program? The weapons avionics still don't work. The HMDS still doesn't work. The DAS still doesn't work. The reports I've seen recently all suggest that we're still years away from all the high-tech wizbangery we've been promised actually working and being usable in combat. This airframe will have been in development for over 20 years before it's fully combat capable. Think about that: an entire generation of pilots will conceivably have served and retired in the time it's taken to get this aircraft working. That's unprecedented.