I've been working on this plane for a few weeks and saw this challenge and hey! It fits the bill.

About the Build

It started as an engine with an intake and I formed the body around it, keeping accurate room for retracting landing gear, cockpit, refueling probe, guns, etc..
The F-68 was something of an experiment to put all I've learned into one plane.

I apologize for the part count

Lore?

I imagine it would have been designed in the late 50's, budget cuts delayed progress, prototypes would have flown throughout the 60's and finally produced in 1968. The F-68C would have been a modernized naval version used in the mid to late 70's, maybe the 80's and onward. Who knows, Maybe it would have been a successful export fighter for NATO and it's allies. The name Catfish comes from it's big gaping mouth of an intake and the bumps of pitot tubes guns and antenna surrounding it.

Features

The F-68C Catfish has a strait-forward simple VR cockpit with controls for all it's included systems such as: Tailhook, A/A Refuling Probe, Folding Wings, Speed Brakes, Slats, and a variety of weapons.

Armament

4x Rocket pods,
2x Boom50s,
2x Guardian Missiles
2x 20mm Autocannons,
1x Tri-Barreled 30mm Cannon Pod
The Cannon Pod fires in 3-Round-Bursts, has 270 rounds of ammuntion, Elevation controls to aim 6 Degrees up and 45 Degrees down, and an optional Horizon stabilized mode plus or minus 75 Degrees Left and Right

Controls

AG2: Tailhook
AG3: Jettison Pylons
AG4: A/A Refueling Probe
AG5: Fold Wings
AG6: Stabilize Cannon Pod
AG8: Anti-Collision Lights
VTOL: Cannon Elevation
Trim: Trim Control
F6 Camera: Cannon Pod Reticle

I'd like to thank:

BangRou as his build helped me build my gun pod
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/LNDTJk/Simple-Working-LITENING-Targeting-Pod
L1nus because his Tomcat had some neat Slat inputs
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/iqzq7j/F-14-A-early-Topgun-Liveries
Kerbango since he's got a lot of good labels
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/j5x26B/Aviation-Label-stickers

Happy 4th of July Y'all