Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work admits the filthy truth about the F-35...

via DoD press release...

“We believe and we say it over and over,” he added, “this fifth-gen fighter, [even though] it can't out-turn an F-16 or … go as fast, we are absolutely confident that F-35 will be a war winner … because it is using the machine to help the human make better decisions.”

Now.  Only now do we get the filthy truth about the F-35.  It will not equal legacy airplanes in performance.  It will be at a SEVERE disadvantage to threat aircraft across its flight spectrum.

IT WILL DEPEND ON SENSORS TO SURVIVE IN COMBAT!

Think about that.  Our enemies are certainly aware of this.  They are undoubtedly working on systems to negate this (extremely negligible) so called trump card. 

I can't wait for the fanboys to try and defend this!  Sensors can be degraded. For our entire air superiority doctrine to rest on a slow, non-turning, low flying pig of an airplane that only has sensors as its reason for being seems extremely foolish.

Sidenote:  Does this have shades of airpower theory from the 50's and 60's?  Guns are irrelevant because we'll have missiles that can do all the work?  Flash forward to 2015 and suddenly a fighters speed, maneuverability and flying height is irrelevant because we have sensor fusion!  Simply amazing.