F-35 Inferior to Russian and Chinese Fighters

A sensitive report prepared in the US by Rand Corporation says Australias biggest defence purchase, the joint strike fighter will be inferior to Russian and Chinese rivals. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability. The F-35 has three main models; one is a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the second is a short take off and vertical-landing variant, and the third is a carrier -based variant.