But that aside, the F-35 program was never really about building a fighter jet. It was designed from the beginning as a way to funnel 100s of billions of dollars into the defense industry and to keep that money flowing for decades.
This. It was primarily about international collaboration, not military capability (F-22 is a more capable fighter). Best military technology (with most capable pieces likely highly classified) can never be built as a multi-national project. And there are cheaper ways of boosting international goodwill than funneling hundreds of billions into favored defense contractors. Government :(. My 2c.