What’s Wrong With The F-22 Raptor? by David Archibald.

[The F-35’s] show-stopper shortcomings were inherent in the design. … it is now possible for USAF generals to publicly cast doubt about the F-35. They are doing this by investigating what it would take to restart production of the F-22. While restarting the F-22 production line is not necessarily crazy, it is sub-optimal. The reason why the initial production run was terminated was because the F-22 costs too much, both to buy and to operate. …

The operating cost problem of the F-22 mostly results from its Radar Absorbent Material (RAM) coating. There is no cure for the operating cost problem until the RAM coating is gotten rid of. All that takes is a change of attitude. The idea of being unseen to x-band radars is no longer the be-all and end-all of aerial combat. If the enemy refuses to play by the USAF’s rules and doesn’t operate with his radar on all the time, all that effort put into stealth is negated. Stealth is good if you can get it without an operating premium; if stealth is inherent in the design and didn’t need constant patching. …

The short term problem is that the existing fighter fleet is too old and is outclassed by the latest Russian and Chinese fighters. The solution to that problem is to adopt the Gripen E to take the role that the F-35 is supposed to fill. Anything the F-35 can do, the Gripen E can do better and at a fraction of the cost.