The F117 was the first of it’s kind, and it really didn’t last very long either. It was more of an X plane that got thrown into the mix. Also it was designed to do just one thing. The F-35 is supposed to be a Jack-Of-All-Trades and that has never worked and never will work.
The F117 was first of its kind but designed before computers could calculate the stealth reflective requirements of a complex surface that was more than just flat facet plates. The F35 is as stealthy as they come. If you have not read “Skunkworks”, read it.
People try to compare the accomplishments of 2nd and 3rd generation fighter/attack aircraft from the 2nd and 3rd generation wars to 4th and 5th gen aircraft in wars that have yet to be fought. Bad comparison. To inflict the same damage today as in the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s, we need an order of magnitude less aircraft and an order of magnitude less munitions. The increased cost is necessary as the less expensive older frames will not survive in the contested environment of modern day adversaries. I am talking about Russia, China, and their clients using modern Russian SAMs like Iran.
No airframe in modern warfare has ever come off the assembly line full up. They all go through upgrades, modernizations, software improvements, and various reworks. The F35 is no different, yet its capability is pretty much unsurpassed according to the crews that are using them today. I’ll take their word over these hit pieces.