re: #438 austin_blue

And the F-18 Super Hornet is still one hell of an airplane. The fact is that the last real fighter/attack aircraft that was usable by both the Navy and the Air Force was the F-4 Phantom, which was originally classified as the F-110 by the Air Force. That was an early 60’s beast that my dad flew in Viet Nam. Originally developed as a navy bird, it was this country’s primary multi-functional war bird (fighter/ground attack) from 1966 until around 1982.

Yeah, a Navy fighter repurposed into a fighter-bomber for the Air Force and Marines. Damned fine plane, though the whole “gunless fighter” idea was a blotch on it until the F-4E came into service.

Meanwhile, the first aircraft intended to fulfill two different service needs, namely an Air Force tactical bomber and a Navy long-range fighter, the F-111, was an utter disaster. Both services disagreed with the idea, but the Air Force ultimately got lead and got the aircraft they wanted. The Navy got shafted and, if not for Grumman with the F-14, would have had to soldier on with the F-4 for another two decades.

Guess which design heritage the F-35 takes after?