[ChrisMarshallNY]

Fair point, but we should look at the length of time from napkin sketch to first delivery of final product; not just the design.

I understand that the manufacturing and testing was a nightmare, with the need to redesign multiple subsystems.

[bigyabai]

If the estimated unit cost of ~90-110 million dollars is right, I'd argue it's a pretty big success. The absolute cheapest 4th generation fighter would cost you an order of 20-30 million dollars to import brand-new, whereas 4.5th generation platforms like the Rafale commonly fetch 100m+ a unit to import.

As far as credible 5th generation strike fighters go, that's a pretty cheap per-squadron price tag. My bigger gripe is with the "Big Bomb Diplomacy" tactics that require such a platform, but we'd end up wanting one either way if a fight with China is in the cards.