[RN7]

The 'success' of Lockheed-Martin's F-35 on the international arms market may have unintentionally engineered a fighter and fighter-bomber gap between most Western and Western aligned states and the Russian/Chinese bloc.

The F-35 is considerably aerodynamically inferior to and less stealthy than an F-22. The F-35 is also aerodynamically inferior to the F-15, all Sukhoi Flanker variants, most Chinese 4th and 5th generation fighters and also the Eurofighter. Additionally the F-35 is also aerodynamically inferior to the T-50 PAK-FA, and in all likely hood will be less stealthy than the T-50. Within WVR ranges the F-35 is also aerodynamically inferior to the Eurofighter, the Rafale, all GE engined F-16's and probably the Mig-29.

So far the USAF, USN, USMC, Australia, Britain, Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea and Turkey and probably other countries plan to replace their current fleets of F-4, F-15, F-16, F-18, Harrier and Tornado with the F-35. As a fighter its aerodynamically inferior to most of these aircraft and has no-where near the payload and range of a Tornado. So basically the US, most of NATO and key Western allies will be using an aircraft which is reliant on stealth and so-far unproven and unreliable gadgets to fend of Russian and Chinese aircraft that are superior BVR fighters, and who will have more powerful strike aircraft. The USAF will still have the F-22, its bomber fleet and the F-15E, but the other's who don't have the Eurofighter (maybe the Mitsubishi F-2 as well) will become vulnerable if not downright outclassed by Russian and Chinese BVR fighters, and this will get worse if Russian and Chinese stealth detection technology matches or surpasses the F-35's alleged attributes. This gap will continue until the late 2020's when the US 6th generation fighters such as the USAF F-X and USN F/A-XX start to come on line.

Worrying.