Looking back from 2020, a time when the lifespan of modern fighter aircraft is measured in decades, if not half-centuries, it seems strange to think that once upon a time a US Navy jet fighter was expected to last no more than five or six years, a decade tops.
Right from the early days of jet propulsion, the Navy was pushing the boundaries of what was technologically possible with designs such as the Cutlass (not quite as ‘gutless’ as you might have been led to believe), Demon (ancestor of the F-4) and Skyray (in front line service for just six years!). Clearly, here were aircraft which foreshadowed the mighty Tomcat itself when it came to high-tech prowess.
Today’s Navy is finally emerging from what has been a time of unprecedented austerity with the F/A-18E/F and F-35C at the cutting edge of aviation technology and with the F/A-XX programme set to deliver a sixth generation fighter that will take the Navy well into the 21st century.
This publication chronicles the US Navy’s jet fighters through the beaut
