Originally Posted by
F4E Mx
One witness on the ground said she saw three aircraft at low level and described "bangs" (compressor stalls?) coming from one aircraft. So, low-level, single-engine maneuvering over mountainous terrain? If her observations were correct or not you would think the Navy would have looked at the safety record of the twin-engine T-38 and the twin-engine T-37 and the twin-engine T2C Buckeye before buying a single-engine trainer.
They traded 3 engines and 2 aircraft for 1 engine and one aircraft.
We've said the same thing about going to the F-35.
Their answer on that issue is the dependability of the F-35's single engine on the test stand. Not that the USN/USMC don't have a mixed history of single-vs-twin engined aircraft operating blue water ops.