The F-35 isn't the fighter I'd have designed or approved for use by the armed services, but the Pentagon and the past three Administrations have wanted the thing so I guess we're stuck with it.
Personally, I think the F-22 Raptor is much better and I'm still a big fan of the different variants of the F-15 and F-16, but I guess the F-35 serves its purpose. I just hope the thing doesn't ever have to have its ass handed to it by an Su-35 or a similar Eastern Bloc fighter because the thing's been overengineered and underarmed.
My guess: probably not, but we here in the West and in the U.S. in particular love to design planes that have 8 million of the world's most cutting edge and sensitive computer components in the cockpits and go into combat with just five missiles and/or guided bombs.