F-14s being retired...
 

Reading an article regarding the retiring of F-14s (replaced by F/A-18s), a couple of statements stood out:

"The F/A-18 is like a Porsche; it handles really well," Seth says. "The F-14 is like a Corvette, a muscle car. It just has tremendous power. It's just a fun plane to fly."

"The only other country flying F-14s after today will be Iran, Pike says. Starved for spare parts, the Iranians struggle to keep the jets in flight."

Mike

My Dodge pickup is like a C-130.

F14s are such big, beautiful planes.

Does the F18 carry a missile that can replace the Phoenix? I thought the point of the F14 was that just two of them could eliminate 12 air targets within a couple-hundred-mile radius. Does the F18 do just as good a job with carrier protection, or is the thought that we no longer have Russian bombers hunting our fleets?

It is really sad. I have been in love wth that jet since I watched Top Gun. Jus the sheer power and size of it is amazing.

My name is tom hughes...not to be mistaken with tom cruise...

It is a shame but it was just as much a shame when the F-4 was retired from service. The F-18 is a very capable fighter but it doesn't have the shoot down range of the f-14. The F-14 was designed to shoot down enemy targets out of eye sight but the thing is that no matter how a fighter is designed it ends up in close in fighting that makes or breaks it.

I'm not sure which is truely better at it; the f-14 or 18 but I suspect that the 18 with an air to air complement can turn and burn a little tighter.

Dunno about this. Of the couple hundred air-to-air kills scored by US fighters in the past 20-30 years, how many have been in "close in" fighting vs longer range missile shots?

Fair question but how many real wars with major air powers have we had? All these little mom and pop air forces we've been dealing with might have some of the tech but no real ability to field a good fight. Iraq....phhhht...

We haven't had any real air to air combat going on in the same time frame have we? I could totally be wrong I'm sure.

My Dad works for lockheed involved in the F-22 and F-35 and he swears by the fact that they are designed to shoot down without ever seeing the enemy target. While these look like they will be excellent fighters and able to turn and burn well enough I still firmly believe that the ability to turn and burn is at the very least equally important to shooting them down without ever seeing them. This is the mentality that gave us problems in Vietnam, sheesh, watch top gun again man! There's the speech describing the need for the school explains it all.

Of course, now that school is gone and there is a joint school out of nevada I believe.

To be honest I haven't paid a lot of attention to this in about 10 years but it used to be what I ate drank and breathed (air force brat and all that).

If they ever retire the C-130 I would hope there would be a national day or so of mourning and celebration for it...

Would be interesting to look into.

If you combine Gulf War I and all the air battles where the Israelis have used US fighters (that's why I said US fighters not US pilots), plus various incidents here and there since, say, 1980, I think you can come up with quite a bit of air combat, at least a couple hundred air-to-air kills. (I think the F15 alone has scored >100, mostly in Israeli hands). Enough to study.

Unfortunately I can't think of a practical way to find out how each kill was made. Maybe I'll do some more searching.

My dad worked on the AIM-54 missile in the 1970s, in his aerospace engineer days. I've always liked the F-14 for that reason.

nuff said
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sweet. :)

Awesome flyby...
 

Re: F-14s being retired...
 

This just made fastpat's hemorrhoids flare up ;-)

It's no good, Goose.....

I love jets....

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Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Yup! :D

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*Note, by the letters on the verticals of the 18 in this film "WS", it appears to be one of the Death Rattlers from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323.

Randy

Here ya go, URY! :D

Click here.

Randy

Semper fi, Tomcatters! OOH-RAH!!!

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"Any time, baby!"
http://www.bluejacket.com/usn/insign...baby_insig.jpg

Randy

The F4 and the F14 are very similar planes. Not much of a stall fighter, never intended to be. Their mission was fleet protection. they took a very powerful radar and some very sophisticated beyond visual range missiles at extremely high speed to defend the fleet against bear formations armed with anti ship missiles. And they look really cool doin it. No big surprise the capability's expanded to cover many missions after they entered service. The planes are nearly identical in many aspects, the parallels are incredible. They simply lived in two different eras. My favorite planes of all time are the Phantom, Tom Cat and the FW 190.

Ahhhh...Phantoms. Ya gotta love a Phantom!

My squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 531, the Gray Ghosts.
http://www.cloud9photography.us/f4us...eterMancus.jpg

Welcome to Ghost Town!
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.
http://www.highironillustrations.com...cs/vmfa531.jpg

We had a saying back then, "Never ask a Marine what kind of unit he was in. If he was in Fighters, he'd tell you. If he's not, why embarass him?" :D

Randy

531 has some of the best markings ever to set foot in the sky.

F-14 is a very expensive and computer complicated plane. Very often the EE Grumman trouble shooter has to be sent out to solve a mysterious problem.

A retired CPO once told me that the F-4 was proof that with enough engine, a brick could fly...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159063564.jpg


"Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006) – Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), an F-14D Tomcat assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31), aircraft number 112, completes the final catapult launch of an F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft. The last launch marks the end of an era for Naval Aviation. The F-14 will officially retire in September 2006, after 32 years of service to the fleet. Theodore Roosevelt is completing Joint Task Force Exercises with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird"

Years ago, Car and Driver did an article about the "last of the F-4" squadrons, and the F-4 drivers did not care too much for the Tomcat. I recall the author was presented with a Zippo lighter with the inscription, "Better to have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother flying F-14s!"

they flew an f-14 demo at the cleveland airshow a few years ago.....a couple pics.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159075403.jpg
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I used to fix F-4s when I was a young man and hated to see them go...I have heard the one quoted earlier that "an F-4 is proof that with enough horsepower...even a brick will fly" many times. It was one heck of an aircraft..especially after they upgraded the engines and they quit smoking so bad.

Re: F-14s being retired...
 

In actual fact, other than those lost to accidents and aerial combat, all Iranian F-14's are fully operational and have been substantially upgraded from their original configurations. The Phoenix missiles are substantially upgraded as well.

Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

And what is your source for this actual fact???

Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat and the Tomcat forum which is composed of former Tomcat pilots and crews, and other experts in the aircraft.

Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Got a link that works?

Apparently there are differing views...some links say the Russians re-worked the aircraft, others say Bravo Sierra.

Key is that the US has not supported these aircraft for decades...I am still looking for the configuration the Russians have put together.

Very cool video, thanks

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Try this: http://tinyurl.com/mvm84

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

An Amazon site to a paperback book entitled "Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat"

That is your "in actual fact" source???

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Perhaps it's a book written by Lew Rockwell. That would be enough to make it "actual fact" in Pat's eyes. :rolleyes:

Randy

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

Since you've obviously not read, or even heard of, the book, you'd do well to acquire a copy before you denigrate the information in it.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

The book was published in 2004, what does it have to do with their status as of today?

all Iranian F-14's are fully operational

Prove it and not by citing a paperback published years ago.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: F-14s being retired...
 

I've presented my information, you don't like it.

Let's see you prove your point of view.

As of 2000 it was estimated that only 40 of the 132 F-4Ds, 177 F-4Es and 16 RF-4E. Phantoms delivered before 1979 remained in service. At that time, approximately 45 of the 169 F-5E/Fs delivered are still flying, while perhaps 20 F-14A Tomcats of the 79 initially delivered were airworthy. Another 30 F-4s, 30 F-5s and 35 F-14s have been cannibalized for spare parts. One report suggested that the IRIAF can get no more than seven F-14s airborne at any one time. Iran claims to have fitted F-14s with I-Hawk missiles adapted to the air-to-air role.


GlobalSecurity

Randy

Hello.......I say, I say..... Helloooooo

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