Pugs is spot on. I've ranted enough about the POS F-35 so I wont do it again here, but suffice to say, the F-14 and A-6 might have been long in the tooth as originally configured, but the F-14D and planned follow-on the Tomcat 2000 would be right in there with today's new age stuff (with the exception of the F-22) and the A-6F the same. The F-35 is simply a perfect case of government ineptitude and the tail (funding) wagging the dog.

A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”