By the start of the 1980s, U.S. military officials realized that technology now permitted the creation of a "super fighter" that could replace the aging stalwarts of airborne defense: the Grumman F-14, McDonnell Douglas F-15, and the General Dynamics F-16. Even though each of these programs had been extended, the military realized it needed a fighter for the new century. To this end, the government created the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) Program and gave it the code name "Senior Sky."
