Definitely a good watch. I’ve always been obsessed with fast cars and fighter jets since I was a kid.
Both of my parents were in the Air Force (where they met) as well as 3 uncles and 4 aunts. I was born on Laughlin AFB in Del Rio Texas.
My 12yr old son and I were watching Top Gun on Amazon Prime the other day. I just showed him the Su-57 doing a pilot induced flat spin and told him if Maverick was flying this, they wouldn’t be cleaning Goose’s brains off the canopy. He told me how wrong it was and then proceeded to high five me while laughing his ass off. That’s my boy.
I’ve honestly never been a fan of the F/A-18 and it’s variants as I loved the F/14 and the ST21 seemed to be a better option but I’m assuming cost came into play or contract rigging.Before the Super Hornet was a done deal there was a modernization/Refit proposed for the F-14D to make Super Tomcat 21 or ST21, basically make the F14 a better carrier based strike eagle. Most of it was throwing the canceled A-12 "Quickstrike" (A-6E replacement) parts at the F-14D. Part of the refit/new aircraft would be new engines GE F110-129 (based off the GE-F110-53 in later block F-16 and F-15E) making the F-14 capable of supercruise at mach 1.2-1.4 as well as thrust vectoring, along with all new avionics, sensors, and targeting for both air to air and air to ground. ST21 also included possibility of new airframes with more hardpoints and many control surface upgrades. Then there was a plan to apply tech from the Air Forces ATF program (F-22/ YF-23) to the Super Tomcat and create an entirely new aircraft The ASF-14, but in the end the F/A-18E/F were cheaper.
I'm just trying to imagine that big girl (F-14D) dancing, using thrust vectoring.