Hunterboy
20 years ago I flew the B variant as the C was just coming on line. Also the Euro version MLU jets were a huge jump up. The kit in the A/Bs was not a patch on the Tornado's at that point (in my opinion). It was the same with the F15, the A model was very poor, but when the US Mil piled heaps of cash into the C/D variant then you saw the workd-beater that we have seen in recent years.
I remember discussing the F15A with a guy who had been on exchange and he said it wasn't much better in avionics terms than the Lightning/F4 that he'd been flying!
All
Yup, VIPER is the name that people that fly in and around FJs use - go to RED FLAG and use 'Fighting Falcon' and you'll get a very odd response!
LJ