Most excellent summation indeed. BUt.. Definitively count me as one of those old hornet Haters and not just the deck cycle issue because of the gas. We also had to build an entirely new air defense of the Strike Group Architecture because of the Hornet's short legs, a radar that was at the time very susceptible to 60s era SPS 141 repeater jammer used by the Soviets, no IFF (NCTR SUCKED) and until AAMRAM not so good BVR. With the Tomcat (which BTW in the A+, B & D models could easily handle just about anybody out there) We could extend the "Chainsaw" Air Defense way past 600 miles, way past. Nope and I'm not even a fighter guy, but the way ahead should have been the Tomcat 2000. Lastly, when the Tomcat boys finally sucked it up and became a bomber, it proved to be a formidable platform, if for no other reason than an extra pair of eyes at the merge, and longer loiter times in the CAS role in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Hornet and their follow ons have hamstrung carrier aviation but I'll take it over that POS 35 anyday.
Tomcat was the greatest fleet defense weapon ever created...and the Russians knew it!!
