Thrust Vectoring Owns the Sky

About

Thrust Vectoring Owns the Sky! is a 4chan catchphrase originally used in reference to the popular Japanese anime series Macross Zero, which features several fighter jets with incredibly versatile flying capabilities.

The first instance of “thrust vectoring owns the sky” goes back to November 2003, which makes it one of the earliest catchphrases to be widely recognized by the now infamous hubsite.

Origin

“Thrust vectoring owns the sky! This thing can turn on a dime, Macross Zero-style!”

- Anonymous, /p/, 4chan, 2003

According to several witness accounts, the quote came from an Anonymous post on 4chan’s /p/ (photography) imageboard circa November 2003. It was initially posted as a comment on a picture of a F/A-22 Raptor, and then later placed next to pictures of other aircraft or vehicles, but was also seen on marques.

Spread & Presence

By February 2004, the viral comment from /p/ had spread across other imageboards, practically taking over 4chan. In similar light to Multi-Track Drifting and VTEC Just Kicked In Yo, “Thrust Vectoring Owns the sky” can be seen as one of many auto/tech-related catchphrases to be recognized in the Anonymous community.

Today, the catchphrase can be still spotted on 4chan from time to time, however, mostly in the context of reminiscing about older 4chan memes.

The Technology

In modern military, thrust vectoring technology is primarily associated with VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft engines that can provide a variable amount of thrust in a versatile range of directions other than parallel to the aircraft’s length. Some of the best known examples of vectored-thrust models include Harrier (RAF), Su-37 (Russia) F/A 22 Raptor and F-35 (USAF).