re: What's your favorite military plane ?

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Didn’t they create a “Super Tomcat” that was updated to digital but it was too late since they had already poured resources into the Hornet?

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Correct, they were developing a Super Tomcat on paper, but didn’t have the funding due to the Hornet costs. They brought a F-15E (two seat F-15) to our hangar and parked it next to an F-14B, we climbed all around the F-15E, they said they could put all the latest technology that was in the F-15E into a new Tomcat , it would look roughly the same, (a little slicker) and have all the lastest technology. That F-15E was quite a jump in technology from the F-14 we flew. It also had a 22 degree wrap around HUD, it was set up with NVG lighting, (we had to turn all cockpit lights off to use our Night Vision Goggles). All the switches in the front and back cockpits were forward of your mid thigh, the tomcat RIO had 350 circuit breakers behind him and the pilot had 22 circuit breaker near his ankles. At night with no lights (due to an emergency), cycling the correct CB was tricky! So yes, they did start developing the Super Tomcat, and also yes, they couldn’t get the funding - the F-18 was cheaper and the threat that would require them to spend more $ to produce it wasn’t there.