Making Sense of the F-35

It's a safe bet that Canada has never seen a more controversial defence acquisition than the current plan to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35 strike fighter.

There have been a lot of claims made for and against this airplane and they run the honesty gamut from unquestionable truth to unquestionable lie.  Part of the problem is that there's a lot we don't know about the F-35.  From my perspective, an even greater problem is that we can't assess the realities this airplane will have to meet in a decade from now when it is deployed.  We've banking on some awfully expensive technology that could be obsolete before this fighter ever comes into service.

Back in October, 2008, long before most of us even knew of the F-35, Defense Industry Daily published what seems to be a carefully thought out analysis of the aircraft, its strengths and its obvious weaknesses and vulnerabilities.  If you're interested in this controversy, it's a very worthwhile read.