Cool video, zooming in and around the clouds is great fun. Did the same thing once near the Tennessee/Mississippi border. Sadly it was in a Cessna 152 and I didn't get to land on a carrier afterwards.
Still it was great fun.
As for the F18. I think it will go down as a classic like the F16, P51 etc. Sure it's a compromise but it does the job perfectly well. I tend to think the stealth factor in the new generation of fighters is, perhaps a luxury rarely used. Recent history has shown that the very first thing that happens to the enemy's air defences is that it's shutdown by a combination of jamming and radiation missiles. Since the Vietnam war, to switch on a radar was to invite a missile onto your doorstep. In other less sophisticated wars like Afghanistan, what's needed is close in, close air support. Stealth is no use when the enemy can hear and see you. The fact that the A10 is still in service proves that. In fact the mere sight of an A10 in the vicinity often suppresses the enemy as evidenced in Iraq. No one want to look down the barrel of that gatling gun.
I think that may be the point of leaving off the internal gun on Marine F35's. You will only need it for CAS and for CAS you don't need stealth. The role of the gun in air combat is probably finished. In truth dogfighting with guns will be restricted to places like Aces High in the future.
There will always be a place for unstealthy, down in the dirt attack aircraft in the future. Maybe!
