While en-route LAX-SYD I happened upon a radio Australia broadcast on the F-35 project. One of the best bits of investigative journalism I've ever heard.
It should have been on 4 corners...not some HF broadcast to the middle of the Pacific.
A major problem with the program is not the airframe, or the fact it will likely cost 5% of Australian GDP, but perversely the helmet's (full of VR and targeting electronics) weight.
If a pilot ejects and that person weighs less than 70Kg, spinal injury is almost a certainty! ( due the initial acceleration/g's from the seat wanting to snap their necks.) The bigger the pilot, the less severe the injury...but simply put...injuries were expected regardless.
