And yet the F-4 with it's advanced avionics, radar, and missiles regularly got worked by the 'inferior' Mig-21.


Tell that to the Israeli Air Force or the post-Top Gun US Navy. A fighter plane is only as good as the person flying it, and there's a reason the F-4 stayed in service worldwide for as long as it did.

I'm not saying the F-35 is so good (being the lowest common denominator in terms of export needs), I'm just saying the Chinese copy attempt is likely utter crap.