To Ted:
Thanks for the technical info. Lift-bodies are awesome! On the TV-show they made it look like even the engineers and designers were still surprised though that it made it home, lift-body or not...
But I am with you, it's gonna be sad to see the F-15 go. I still think it is one of the best fighters ever made.
To Frank:
Computer controlled or not, somebody still has to fly it there and some air-attack guy still has to tell the driver where he wants the drop (just like you said). There is always a big difference between an online video that's supposed to prove the concept and what's really happening out in the field. I am sticking with my suspicions about this project being too big to function right and ending up being a flop...
Oh yes... engineers here were surprised indeed! The post-flight analysis and computer simulations showed that it is indeed possible to fly the plane like that, but it is not an easy thing to do, nor recommended in the p.o.h.

He was one lucky pilot, and any other plane would have augered in without a doubt.
Also, while I'm not familiar with firefighting flying, based on what I know about aviation, and such, I am inclined to agree with you, Mike, about your opinion on the 747 tanker. Seems to me that aircraft that strike a compromise between maneuverability and lifting capacity are the ones ideally suited.... though an A-10 FireHog could also be very interesting to see.
One other post on here noted that it looks like the nose gear is offset on the front of the A-10 due to the 30mm gun up front. Just wanted to also say that that observation is correct. One more reason why they say they "built the plane around the gun".