flyboy707 Wrote:I guess I should have said I was strictly adhering to US operated aircraft for our talks. You are correct about the German version of the F-104. They tried to use the plane as a strike fighter instead of as an air-to-air and the airframe just couldn't handle it. There were many reports of over g-ing the plane and them literally disintergrating in-flight. I called a buddy of mine in Gielenkirchen AB (NATO air base operated by the Germans) and he filled me in on that information.

The USAF does have a large number special F-18s used for specialty missions (not so much Spec Ops, but other types of special missions). The F-15 C,D,J and all models of the F-16s still carry the role of the major SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense), Strikes, Intercepts, AAs etc, but the F-18s are helping in some of the more "special" missions. From what we hear in the aircrew community, the USAF is holding out for the F-22 instead of getting major numbers of F18s. In the long haul, the F-22 will be more versatile and cheaper.

The F-22 will be more easy to intergrate into what we call the "Iron Triangle". This is composed of three very special,black ops, specialty planes deployed into conflicts. An E-3 Sentry (AWACs), a Rivet-Joint (aka RJ) and an E-8 JSTARs. These three planes do very distinct and different missions and link together to control and command airspace and ground theaters.