F22 Raptor in action.
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From: USSA
Originally Posted by The Raptor,Mar 24 2009, 05:17 PM
I followed it all the way through its development, too. (I was an F4C Phantom pilot in the AF.) And you're right. The carrier version got torpedoed by politics: the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is single engine and couldn't shine the Raptor's shoes. 
The Northrup F23 was also an awesome bird.
The Northrup F23 was also an awesome bird.The single engine JSF for the Navy makes zero sense to me. I thought carrier based fighters and fighter/bombers were supposed to be twin engined just in case of one of the engines getting damaged,etc its able to limp back to the carrier rather than ditch in the ocean. An F-22 version for the Navy would have been kick ass.
I thought for sure the YF-23 was going to win because it used some of the same systems from the F-15, had a longer range and was overall projected to be cheaper to build and operate and train pilots on (because of familiarity.) I would have gave both companies contracts to be honest. I would have had the F-22 as a pure fighter/interceptor with some ICBM takeout capabilities and made the YF-23 a long-range fighter/bomber/penetrator.
The amazing thing is these designs came from the mid 80s!!!! I wonder what is on the drawing boards as we speak....especially since no one else can touch the F-22.
I can't wait for when they finally pop the Aurora out in the open.
In case you wondering why I like all these planes and been following them since I was a kid, its because I lived in the shadows of Grumman. The Tomcat was a big source of pride around my parts for any red-blooded American. Shame that Clinton gutted the defense budget while he was in office....basically put Grumman out of business....its just a shadow of its former self.
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From: USSA
Originally Posted by The Raptor,Mar 25 2009, 11:34 AM
I loved the F14 Tomcat with it's variable geometry, especially after Tomcats shot down two Libyan fighters over the Gulf of Sidra. I went to the Pt. Mugu airshow right after that event. Everyone was wearing "Tomcats 2 Libya 0" T shirts."
Did you know there is an F14 smilie?
Did you know there is an F14 smilie?
One of my old neighbors was a foreman on the F-14 production line. I used to get free F-14 t-shirts as a kid
