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| Science & Technology |
| The Legendary F-14 Tomcat: The Plane America and Iran Both Love |
| 2016-10-16 |
| Let's just get this out of the way: Maverick. Iceman. Charlie. Are you done swooning yet? For many, the 1988 film Top Gun caused the F-14 to embody everything cool about fighter jets and the pilots that flew them. And the Tomcat was cool--entering service in 1975, it was arguably the first operational fourth-generation jet fighter that successfully combined the characteristics of high speed, high maneuverability, and sophisticated avionics and armament that are now standard today. However, there’s a profound irony in the Tomcat story. The Tomcat is one of the U.S. fighters that has seen the most sustained and intense air-to-air combat of its generation. And yet, American F-14s only shot down five hostile aircraft. The Tomcat, however, chalked up its extraordinary combat record in the service of one of the United States' bitterest rivals, Iran. |
| Posted by:Blossom Unains5562 |
| #7 Israeli had not F14 or Mohawk. They employed in 80's the Hawkeye, and now operate a Gulfstream with one of their radars. F-14 was an heavy fighter aircraft also nightmare in reliability a typical 70's aircraft.With computers no one uses now swing wings. |
| Posted by: Crolunter Wittlesbach4284 2016-10-16 22:29 |
| #6 Don't think the IDF ever operated F-14S, they operate the Mohawk in the AWACS role, works pretty good. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2016-10-16 17:09 |
| #5 Panda, The IDF used F-14s as AWACS also to good effect. Too bad they decided to scrap it for a new shiny object. Can you imagine an F-14 with fifth generation avionics and engines plus a modest dose of stealth? It is still a viable airframe and even the crappy old A and B models can fly circles around an F-35 and shoot one down over the horizon with a AMRAAM missile...probably the best jet fighter ever built and now we have the flying turkey. No one will ever call the F-35 anything like an eagle or a hawk or cat...its a dog...maybe instead of a turkey...the wild turkey being a very wiley critter... I think the F-35 ought to be called the Poodle or Shitz Zu or something like that. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2016-10-16 15:58 |
| #4 Ask yourself a question: If it was for sale today, who would buy it? Don't split your gut laughing if you are honest, or black out if you are not... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2016-10-16 12:02 |
| #3 Dumbasses, the Tomcat wasn't a sexy fighter, it was designed to shoot down Soviet antiship missiles at long range. Seriously nobody knows this? The Iranians use their Tomcats as AWACS due to the powerful radar. The one designed to track Soviet missiles and shoot them down. |
| Posted by: Elmavish Panda1401 2016-10-16 11:38 |
| #2 Perhaps the best reason the F-14 shot down so few enemy aircraft is it was so superior for its time few would challenge it. As in 'Peace Through Superior Firepower.' |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2016-10-16 11:20 |
| #1 sacrificed at the Altar of the Hornet. did some Bombcat and RCS reduction work in another life; also cut up 2 that were pristine A models cuz pentagon didn't have $ to on convert to D's, but had $ to ontinue to patch up ragged ones...... |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2016-10-16 10:37 |