Modernization or death: Heed history’s lessons on the F-35

From the comments section of the article:
"In 1997, Lockheed Martin was selected as one of two companies to participate in the Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstration phase. In October 2001, the Lockheed Martin X-35 was chosen as the winner of the competition and teamed with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems to begin production. The first production F-35A rolled out of the assembly in Fort Worth, Texas, in February of 2006. I am sorry but it is now 2018 ... THis airplane has been in development since 1997 ...20+ years. First flew over 12 years ago... At what point does our fighting men and women get a product they can use at a price the taxpayer can digest? Is it intended to be an endless R&D program?"