F-14s being retired...

[IROC]

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

[URY914]

My Dodge pickup is like a C-130.

[jyl]

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?

[BRPORSCHE]

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...

[mikester]

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.

[jyl]

Originally posted by mikester
no matter how a fighter is designed it ends up in close in fighting that makes or breaks it.

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?

[mikester]

Originally posted by jyl
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...

[jyl]

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.

[scottmandue]

nuff said

[Jim Richards]

sweet.

[Eric Coffey]

Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full.

[Drdogface]

Originally posted by IROC


"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

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

[dhoward]

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

[URY914]

I love jets....

[rcecale]

Originally posted by IROC
"The F/A-18 is like a Porsche; it handles really well," Seth says.

Yup!



*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

[rcecale]

Originally posted by URY914
I love jets....

Here ya go, URY!

Click here.

Randy

[rcecale]

Semper fi, Tomcatters! OOH-RAH!!!




"Any time, baby!"


Randy

[Usmellgass2?]

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.

[rcecale]

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

My squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 531, the Gray Ghosts.


Welcome to Ghost Town!
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.


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?"

Randy

[Usmellgass2?]

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