[GonzoGOP]

I believe the Russian YAK, that used to be carried on Russian aviation cruisers, was also a single engine VSTOL strike jet.

The Yak-38 had one Tumansky R-28 V-300 vectored thrust main engine and two Rybinsk RD-38 lift engines mounted behind the pilot. It also had critically short range of only around 800 miles. On the up side it only cost $18 million a copy so you could get ten for the cost of an F-35.

[Tallguy]

Thanks! Hadn’t seen much of the YAK-38 and forgot a lot of the details. The write-up in Wikki suggested that initially the “Forger” was limited to VTOL (no rolling take-offs). But their shipboard vertical landing was “hands-off”! Looks like they’re mostly retired now, or at least that they’re none serving at sea.