[Suhiir]

It's really a matter of the F-35B replacing the Harrier.

Even if it's not up to it's potential (real or imagined) it's still and improvement over the Harrier and it's a new aircraft, not one suffering from an old airframe and a critical shortage of parts for maintenance.

Once again I remind people, the F-35 was never designed or intended to be an air superiority aircraft, while the UK Fleet Air Arm will press it into that role, and it will, again, be an improvement over the Harrier, to compare it to the F-22 or any other air superiority aircraft is just plain stupid. Will it have better survivability vs air superiority aircraft then the Harrier or A-10? Yes ... then it's an improvement.