Fighter pilots are not what you think. They know thier planes and thier enemy's planes, but those are always many years old. Few pay any attention to cutting edge technology as it doesn't impact thier work. They are not experts in missile development nor even aerodynamics. Point to a bit on a plane and they can say what it does, but ask them to explain exactly why it is engineered as it is and they will not have specific answers.

A cop is not an expert on ballistics just because he uses a gun. He knows his gun and how to best use it, but debates about the latest gun technology isn't necessarily his interest as they don't change how he uses the gun he has today.

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure Diesel has met a few fighter pilots. It's not a monolithic culture--there are plenty of pilots out there who are exactly as you describe, but also a number who not only can explain why a thing is engineered a certain way, but actually did some of that engineering themselves. Even if they're playing supporting roles in flight test and weapons development, they absolutely take the lead in tactics development/refinement, which is intimately tied to current knowledge about both friendly and enemy systems and tactics.

Besides, believe it or not, some of them are huge nerds...

Probably a few actual fighter pilots, and quite a few more simulator enthusiasts who know a lot about the mechanics.

Or perhaps even those that built the flight simulators that trained the pilots.

Now we’ve come full circle.

I think I've seen a handful here...