Warbird Information Exchange

The Russians did recieve a F-14 or two. A few days fast research seems to point to this conclusion. Link here:
http://usaircraft.proboards.com/index.c ... hread=1420

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If the Russians did get one, I hope the reversed engineered the TF-30 engine and are using in it in their fighters.

Duane

Nope, not guessing.

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Bob

And then, why is the DoD busting a gut to keep every part that ever went on an F-14 from being exported and in some cases, grabbing legally disposed of assemblies to grind them up? How much can you ascertain from a paper cup full of old screws or a wheel?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Paranoia, perhaps. Lessee, the current regime took over in, what, 1979? Ya think in 31 years they might, just MIGHT be able to reverse engineer stuff?

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Bob

The paranoia comes from former V.P. Cheney's office.
Ordered the removal and destruction of one of the most capable aircraft in the USN inventory.
And replaced it with an aircraft nowhere near as capable....
In some places and times that is called Treason but since he's a Republican nothing is said.
The stories about the Tomcat being hard to service are BS.
How can you service your planes if NAVAIR will not fund parts, etc. acting on orders from on high.
I will say nothing else about this other than that my brief experience with the Big Cat is something I will always cherish.
maybe someday someone will get one from the Iranians and it can fly again in the USA....

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All I did was press this red button here...

Other than being a flagrant political post "Enemy Ace", you might want to check your facts. The Super Hornet program began in the late 1980s, was ordered in 1992, and entered production in 1996 as a replacement for the A-6 and A-7. It then ended up being the replacement for the F-14 when the Navy canceled the NATF (F-22N) due to cost overruns of the ATF program and the Navy wanted to pitch a "low risk" alternative. That the aircraft didn't fully supplant the F-14 until 2006 is again due to NAVAIR, who continually changed the design and saddled it with more and more modifications in the form of additional equipment and performance requirements that McDonnell Douglas and then Boeing had a hard time meeting. Because of this, instead of the airplane being delivered in 1997 after full rate production had begun in earnest, it wasn't cleared for full service until 2000.

You may have liked the F-14, but at least it got replaced, unlike the F-15 which is still soldiering on despite the fact it was supposed to have been fully replaced by the ATF (F-22) at the same time as the F-14 was... before 2000.

The Tomcat was great in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, today it's terribly outclassed by current surface-to-air and air-to-air threats (regardless of avionics, weapons, and engine upgrades). Like the Phantom, just because it was great in it's time doesn't mean that it's still a capable fighter currently.

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If Cheney's involvement were true and could be proven the current administration would have wasted no time in indicting him. The F-14s were old, big and complicated. Maintenance man hours per flight hour were way above what they had been when they were at thier best. That is the surest sign that an airplane is getting old. That number usually starts out fairly high as the operators and maintainers learn thier new mount then drop as they master it and then climb again as factors related to age (failed wiring, tubing and hoses, corrosion, fatigue etc.) take effect. Still and all the design is still capable and the Navy could have had Tomcats rebuilt with new avionics etc. but I would bet new F-18s cost less. The real shame is that our military and industrial policy favor mergers and reductions of companies and adding ever more roles to multi role platforms leaving us with too few airframe manufacturers.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

I'm just new in this site and I have found out that this thread has many wonderful post that are interesting and informative. That for all the post here.

Just remember though John that the Navy doesn't intend to stay Hornet only. The F-35C will be replacing the F/A-18C's before too long and then you'll have the F-35C in the attack and close air support role, the F/A-18E in the Multi-Role role, the F/A-18F in the Fleet Defense & Night Interdiction role, and the E/F-18G in the ECM role.