[sevensor]

Exactly --- F35 went off the rails at the concept stage. The "focus" mentioned in the article is incredibly diffuse:

> he said they stayed focused on “delivering a stealth fighter that could fly faster than the speed of sound, carry its weapons internally, conduct short takeoffs and vertical landings, and be deployed from amphibious ships and austere bases.”

The justification was, if you can believe it, that having a single platform would reduce costs.