Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson has no intention of sugar-coating the feedback he gives his superiors about the plane that will be Australia's next-generation jet fighter.
"It's my pink body on the line at the end of the day," he said of the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter he's been test-flying in the US.
Australia plans to spend $17 billion purchasing 72 of the fighters, expected to be fully operational by 2023.
They'll replace the RAAF's ageing fleet of Hornets and Super Hornets.
Sqn Ldr Jackson is one of three RAAF fighter pilots, based at the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, who have clocked up 230 flying hours on the JSF.
Its production has been plagued by delays, budget blowouts and technical problems as well as criticism of its stated capability.
But Sqn Ldr Jackson is confident Australia has chosen the right aircraft to achieve regional superiority.
The feedback he and his colleagues are providing to Defence is objective and, when necessary, blunt.
"There's no advantage for me in being posted to a dog," he told reporters at a briefing in Canberra on Wednesday.
Sqn Ldr Jackson hasn't seen any aircraft come into service without critics.
"I don't have any concerns that the aircraft is going to be a lemon or dog (meat), I think it's going to be a very good aeroplane."
He acknowledged the planes had their "warts" but the technical challenges were being worked through.
"I think a lot has been made of the plane's inability to fight in (dogfight) arenas, I don't share that view point."
Asked how the planes compared to the Hornets - now running airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria - Squadron Leader Jackson said the JSF could broadly do the same job.
However the JSF was designed for a contested environment.
There wasn't much difference between a fourth generation and fifth generation aircraft's ability to work with command to drop weapons on targets.
"If you start to add a contested element then it's a very different kettle of fish."
In coming weeks Sqn Ldr Jackson will be involved in testing out the plane's weapons drop capability.
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