September 5, 2000 at 1:09 am
There is so much talk on this forum about the future fighters like the F-22, JSF, Eurofighter, Rafale, and F/A-18 Super Hornet. What about the fighters that have been in service since the 60’s and 70’s. They include the F-4 Phantom II, F-5 Tiger II, F-104 Starfighter, Kfir, Mirage III, Mirage F-1, MiG-21/J-7, MiG-23/27, MiG-25, A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair II, A-37 Dragonfly, A-10 Thunderbolt II, Su-22 Fitter, T-33 Shooting Star, Super Etendard, F-15 Eagle, F-14 Tomcat, F-16 Fighting Faclon (this one does get mentioned, but always in the Block 60 form), J-35 Draken, JA-37 Viggen, and the F-111 Aardvark. Some of these are strike aircraft yes, but I am just listing some prominent planes here. I have made posts about the F-4, but only a few people will respond. I am young myself, but I am not so narrow-minded that I only focus on the “future fighters”. All these planes have served for over 20 years and all are still in widespread service. You have the F-4 for instance, which still performs interceptor, long-range strike, reconnaissance, and CAS duties. The A-37 is still providing effective close air support and COIN roles for many countries. The F-5 is still one of the most numerous fighters in the world. The Super Etendard is still providing the core of anti-ship capabilities for Argentina and France. The T-33 is the oldest combat aircraft in the world, and it is still used by over a dozen countries. The thing first flew in 1948 and here in 2000 is still highly important as a trainer, attack aircraft, and special mission aircraft. Let me get some opinions on these older warbirds that are still going strong.