WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Air Force generals and air marshals have often despised or underrated the importance of tactical support of ground troops. The assumption that the new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter can carry out this role in addition to its air combat superiority and fighter-bomber missions may prove to be a striking example of this old, stubborn mindset.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is the most ambitious multipurpose fighter plane ever built, and that is precisely its problem.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Like many of its multi-role predecessor aircraft, the F-35 may well turn out to be a “jack of all trades but a master of none.”

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- One of the most expensive procurements in Pentagon history, the Joint Strike Fighter program, has recently been estimated to cost just over $299 billion for nearly 2,500 aircraft.