Stealth is nice... on a machine which is based on a well-proven concept.
The main reason the JSF will fail is that the concept is flawed. The design is based on the phased-out Yak-38 (Forger) and the Yak-141(Freestyle) that never became a success and is replaced by Su-35's.
Even if it looks like the poor man's F-22 which it really is, it never gets near to the performance of it, even when you scale the Raprtor down to the size and relative engine strength of the F-35.
Why Lockheed ever got the idea to continue the (failed) Yak-141 in a different shape is a mystery to me. The USMC harriers, even if they aren't supersonic, are good enough for the job they are bought for (close air support), especially in the operating enviroment of today.
Furthermore it isn't capable of flying backwards (the harrier can fly backwards) which restricts the landing and takeoff capabilities and will cause the RAF to completely rethink and rebuild the VTOL operations and the equipment associated with it as it was built to utilise the complete movement envelope of the Harrier.
your forgetting though, this isnt about aircraft for now, this is about aircraft for the future, and the future of air combat should it ever arrive, is simply, he who fires first, you dont build multi-million$ aircraft, for them to be shot down by an aircraft it could never have even seen. stealth is not just there as a nifty gadget, it is good for pilot safety and aircraft surviveability.
Stealth is expensive to construct, maintain and fly (computer stuff)
I still have to see the firsth stealt aircraft which can stay airborne with it's main flight control computer disabled. The MiG-29 and all the Flanker variants can do that.
And as long as both the F/A-18 and F-15 and their weapons can be out-flown by machines from the late 60's if the pilot wants to (Mig-25, January 1991, one kill againsa a F/A-18 which the USAF likes to deny) speed is more important than radar visibility. FYI: that same aircraft can outrun AIM-7 and AIM-9 missile fuses, AIM-120s probably have a hard time catching one if it wants to run. Who needs stealth when you can outfly anything the west has in stores at the moment (MiG-25: advised speed limit by MiG is M2.6, max safe speed M2.83, max recorded M3.2. MiG-31: advised speed limit by MiG is M2.83 but it can go faster as it has even more power than a MiG-25 and won't overspeed the engines)
