What is so wasteful about the F-35 is that it already on the verge of obsolescence.  Unmanned jet drones like the Chinese and Russians are building can counter these aircraft at and do 1000s of times cheaper.  The F-35 is purely a military socialism project to make a few people very wealthy and many people employed doing pointless work.  http://www.nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-china-russia-plan-crush-americas-stealth-aircraft-13708