Intersting tid-bit on the "Bombcats" and the Tomcat Community. When they first came out, they wanted nothing to do with air-to-ground stuff. Not cool enough for fighters. Then as the years progressed and multi-mission became the mantra for survival, THEN they got in the game.
Excellent bomber as Pugs alluded to, lots of range and loiter time compared to the short-legged Hornets (which incidentally became the ONLY Navy jet to FLUNK OP-EVAL yet we bought it anyway) the decision had been made to cease production an that was really too bad. In my opinion we should have built the Tomcat 2000 and the A-6F and forget that A-12 POS and when they A-12 program blew up, we had only one jet in production, the Hornet, so we're stuck with what amounts to an F-14D with less capability and to make matter WORSE, we continue to chase that OTHER fiasco, the F-35....
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…”
