Comments on: F-14 Tomcat Flies Final Mission

By: former Grummbag

former Grummbag — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 07:21:31 +0000

"Anytime Baby" Tomcat stickers still adorn my luggage -- 21 years after cutting my teeth as a programmer/analyst in the Engineering Development Center/Advanced Crewstation Lab working on the D...

Good times...

By: GT Elmore

GT Elmore — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:07:00 +0000

Sheesh. Who really wrote this story? It looks like a public relations piece from the Super Hornet mafia, which apparently drinks its own bathwater. The titular author should be embarrassed to have his name appear above it. Virtually every key assertion presented is not just wrong, but exactly wrong.

Arising out of the thunderous failure of the ill-conceived one-plane-to-do-it-all-for-everybody, McNamara TFX/F-111 fiasco (sound familiar?), the Tomcat was painstakingly designed and purpose-built to meet the Navy's unique requirements. It came through the political fires, shepherded by hardheaded naval aviators who wouldn't take no for an answer and, more than once risked their careers to make it happen.

The F-18E/F Super Hornet, conversely, has no such pedigree. Sort of a Hornet, but not really, it was apparently obliquely derived from the original F-18, an honest and competent strike/fighter developed from the Northrop F-17 (which lost out to the F-16 in the Air Force's 1970s lightweight fighter flyof

By: Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com » Jester’s Dead: The End of the F-14 Tomcat

Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com » Jester’s Dead: The End of the F-14 Tomcat — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:18:11 +0000

[...] Hattips: Outside-the-Beltway The Comissar [...]

By: the musings of Brandon Jaynes » Highway to the Retirement Zone

the musings of Brandon Jaynes » Highway to the Retirement Zone — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 14:03:11 +0000

[...] ht: otb [...]

By: The Politburo Diktat » Blog Archive » F-14 Tomcat Retired

The Politburo Diktat » Blog Archive » F-14 Tomcat Retired — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 03:26:58 +0000

[...] F-14 Tomcat Flies Final Mission Â» Outside The Beltway An era in military aviation has come to an end: the Navy’s F-14 Tomcat has been mothballed, reports USA Today’s Steven Komarow.The F-14 Tomcat, the fighter jet that soared into the national imagination in the movie Top Gun, has flown into the danger zone for the last time. The Navy announced Thursday that the last F-14 combat mission was completed Feb. 8, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt after one dropped a bomb in Iraq. [...]

By: One Hand Clapping » Blog Archive » Sun sets on Tom Cruise’s jet fighter

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:21:09 +0000

[...] The sun has set on Tom Cruise’s airplane. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter, flown by the Navy since 1974, has been retired. The plane’s last operational flight was a bomb run in Iraq. Henceforth, its mission load will carried out using the F-18 Hornet or Super Hornet. The Tomcat was a fantastic air-superiority fighter, designed to face off Soviet aircraft on the open seas or littorals. When first sent to the fleet, it could target 24 enemy planes simultaneously and engage six of them at the same time with its long-range Phoenix missiles. [...]

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:18:17 +0000

Yes, Iranian Air Force still flies their F-14s. Somehow, they get enough spare parts to keep them flying.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:58:33 +0000

Anyone know if Iran's F14's are still operational (I know that they always seemed to be out there looking for spare parts for them)? I hope not. It would be a sad ending for that pretty plane for its last combat operation being a combat sortie against US forces (probably ending with a meeting with an SM2 or AMRAAM).

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:45:01 +0000

The good news is that the F18 and the F14 can probably both match up well to most probable opponents such as Chinas latest fourth generation fighters

I'd agree with that assessment if based on a combination of equipment and training. If it were solely based on the capabilities of the aircraft and equipment, I'd have to say the SU-30s will win against the F-18s hands down.

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:32:25 +0000

I am reminded of the decision to not put a canon on the early versions of the F4 because the dog fight had been superceded by the air to air missle. The good news is that the F18 and the F14 can probably both match up well to most probable opponents such as China's latest fourth generation fighters. Even so, F22 and F35 would be the prefered choice. You don't want close when you can get vastly superior. Especially given the current US aversion to casualties. Can you imagine how the press would deal with a battle of Midway that saw 150 US airdcraft lost and 307 US dead? The modern day democrats would call for a cut and run policy and declare the war was obviously un winnable given the casualty rate.

By: Mythilt

Mythilt — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:15:23 +0000

If this was the last mission of the Tomcat, can only say 2 things. The first is that the decision was probably made about 7 years ago, it takes that long to go through at the fastest, and once started is almost impossible to stop. (The navy is learning that lesson with the Viking, since the decided to kill it several years ago, and are just now learning what they are losing with it. The P-3 and Helo's can't do its job.)
The second thing is a bit of a snark, the F-18 mafia hit team has struck again.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:51:40 +0000

Pure fighter? I think not. It's as much as a fighter as the F-4.

By: The Jawa Report

The Jawa Report — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:50:21 +0000

Goodbye F-14 Tomcat, RIP...

The F-14 Tomcat has been officially retired from the Navy's service. And except for that brief Top Gun fiasco in 1986, the Tomcat has served our country with distinction. What? Are you still suffering under the delusion that Tom Cruise......

By: hubs and spokes

hubs and spokes — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:31:35 +0000

Farewell...

The F-14 Tomcat has flown its final mission.......

By: DJ Elliott

DJ Elliott — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:20:22 +0000

1. F14 was built as a long range interceptor and has the longest range air-air missile built, dogfighting was secondary. REMFs have been claiming dogfighting is dead since WWI and the bomber advocates AND IT STILL HAPPENS. FA18 is a more of a dog-fighter and is F14 replacement.
2. F14D version is capable of precision bombing and can carry the same load as FA18 further since larger airframe provides longer endurance.
3. F14As have been out of the inventory for a decade and that is what the 1974 date and maintenance comparison is based on. D's require 25 hours, were built in late 80s/early 90s, were equipped with laser designation and strike capabilities. And has a longer range than FA18.
4. Commonality of airframes is the real savings. By using an all FA18 air-wing spare parts are streamlined.

USN(Ret)