And now that airplane sits in the boneyard...its crew either transitioned to other airframes or released from the service.
That was a HELLUVA fighter!
until they landed....then you had to have an ample supply of 55 gallon drums on wheels to catch the hydraulic fluid leaking out of them.........
I had family that worked for McDonnell-Douglas, and so I’m a fan of the Hornets... but I also worked with Tomcats back in the day, and for range, speed, weapons load, and power projection, there’s no comparison. The Turkey ruled the waves, and it’s missed greatly today. A Super Tomcat against a Flanker I’d feel good about. But a Super Bug vs. a Flanker? That makes me nervous.