Originally Posted by
KenV
And if memory serves, the A-7s, also still in the mix, had carrier cycle times better than the Hornets and similar to the Tomcat's.
IIRC, some A-7 were configured to carry buddy stores (for AAR). FWIW one of the things that bugs me of developments over the past decades is that we don't seem to have replaced the AAR capability of KA-6D. It's simply lost.
Seen some video of V-22 tanking F-18s and other stuff ... have not sorted out if F-35 will buddy store or leave that to a different platform. Might not be worth the development dollars ...