LIGHTNING STRIKES: 31 Air Force Pilots Reveal Why They Love the F-35 Stealth Fighter. “In full production, the F-35A is projected to cost less than the four-plus generation Eurofighter Typhoon, the French Rafale M, or the latest version of the F-15K Strike Eagle. It will outperform those jets and every other four-plus generation fighter in an air-to-surface role, and none of them would fare well against it in an air-to-air engagement.”

The sixth item caught my eye:

A former A-10 instructor pilot said the situational awareness aids associated with the sensor suite of the F-35A allowed pilots to execute close air support missions as well or better than the A-10 in low-threat environments. The F-35A is the only multirole platform capable of conducting close air support in high-threat environments.

The A-10 was designed to crack Soviet armor, and there’s never been a better, pure ground-pounder. But the land-based threat environment has increased radically since the A-10 first flew more than 40 years ago, and stealth is probably the price of admission for this new game.