Ok so this may sound farfetched but hear me out: In relation to above, I think I know what the F-35 constant fuck ups are really about. Why are they building this expensive hodgepodge of a nonfunctional warplane when the F-16 works just fine, and it's well known that the much simpler and cheaper Russian jets do the job just fine in Ukraine? Plus that they use helicopters most of the time anyway. (Jets get shot down even if they're somewhat better, the edge only adds some % in accuracy, so why? This was the case with the mig planes as well, everyone was scared of them, then they turned out being pretty simple when one was captured.)
Fine, I know jets crash in testing, it's always like this, and no one talks much about it because that's how it is. More German pilots died during testing of their jets in WW2 than actually using them in the war. 500 Swedish pilots died during the build-up of their military jet program in peace time. It's to be expected.
Anyway, to the point: trying to bring new technology into a timeline requires that its collective knowledge has reached a level where it can be at least somewhat understood. We don't understand most technology, but can use it because of a theory being accepted. AC for example isn't some normal thing, it's alien technology originating with a kind of hyper intelligent octopus which no one knew of before alternating current was "invented". The science explaining it is just explaining the "ritual practice" for how to make this spirit work functional. Electricity isn't even a common long distance transmission technology anywhere, it seems it's only used on Earth basically. (DC doesn't work for long distances, which is why the modern grid could not be built in the past ages. DC is the only technology which exists "naturally".)
Skunks are behind the stealth technology, and the planes with its characteristic look. If you make something that looks like that, it is accepted. You can fly with anti-gravity and any alien technology, as long as it looks like a stealth plane, no one will ask what is under the cover.
The F-35 is an attempt as channelling the next level of skunk technology into the Earth timeline complex. These black stealth planes are still viewed as a fringe technology in some sense, they're not for common use. The F-35 is made to form a mental framework for what a skunk vessel for the mainstream may look like. Once the idea forms that this works, they can build things with actual alien technology and make it look like an "F-35" and everyone will think "they made the F-35 work now".