F-14 Tomcat Makes last carrier flight

ajay_ijn

New Member
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat, built to protect the fleet from Soviet bombers, took its last flight off an aircraft carrier on Friday, closing one of the final chapters in its 32-year history.
The retirement of the Tomcat, made famous in the movie "Top Gun," clears the way for the Navy to start using new military aircraft that supporters say can meet post-Cold War requirements more affordably.
But for Tomcat pilots and aircraft enthusiasts, the end of the F-14 does not just mark an end of an aviation era -- it signals a trend in U.S. government weapons spending that favors cost-cutting over performance.
"It's a Cold War icon with modern-day lethality," said Cmdr. Jim Howe, commander of the Navy's last Tomcat fighter squadron and the pilot on the last Tomcat to make the two-second, 150 mile-per-hour (240 kph) catapult launch off the carrier.
Lt. Justin Halligan, the pilot who dropped the last bomb from a Tomcat over Iraq earlier this year, said the plane was "at the top of its game or better, but times are different, money's different."
Pilots and machinists aboard the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier, off the coast of Virginia, echoed those sentiments this week. So did industry analysts.
"We're kind of retreating from an era of best you can build and moving to an era of best you can afford," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group aerospace and defense consultancy.
"There's no better sign of that than the retirement of the F-14."
Beyond reflection about the aircraft's powerful image, supersonic speed and unmatched dog-fighting capabilities, many sailors and analysts agreed the Navy just doesn't need the Tomcat anymore.
While some in the Navy criticize Washington, analysts say there is a lot more room for further cuts in the military aircraft budget given the changing face of war.
Simple but deadly ground-based threats such as the roadside bombs used against U.S. forces in Iraq, difficulties securing access to foreign bases and the near total lack of a rival in the air, raise questions over the need for maintaining high spending levels.
Many critics point to the Air Force's plans to buy the F-22 -- the next generation of aircraft aimed at maintaining America's military superiority in the skies -- for a hefty $130 million each.
WHAT MISSION?
The Tomcat had outlived its mission once the Cold War ended, and the federal government was quick to decide the cost, at more than $60 million per plane, was outweighing the benefit. The first Bush administration terminated new F-14 production in its fiscal 1990 budget, and the Navy in 1991 ended its plans to convert older versions, saving $6 billion.
The Tomcat will be fully retired in September, with planes going to museums and a war reserve. The Navy has already begun transitioning to Boeing Co's F/A-18 Super Hornets, and it will then move to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, being built by a team led by Lockheed Martin .
But there is little agreement when it comes to the F-22. The Government Accountability Office urged Congress in June to delay funding the program, saying the Air Force had not made a business case for it.
John Pike, director of security Web site globalsecurity.org, argues the Air Force should start to depend on unmanned vehicles to conduct long-range missions.
"There's got to be a point over the next decade or two that the pencil pushers, the accountants, are going to say piloted aircraft are a luxury we can no longer afford," Pike said.
F-14s never got the Real Chance Prove themselves as there was no combat with Soviet Maritime Bombers.
But F-14 still admired by many for its long range weaponry, dog fighting ability etc.
Strangely There will be no F-14s to fight off The Migs, when they would soon would be deployed in India Ocean unlike fictional Mig-28 on Top Gun.

I am talking about Indian Navys Mig-29K on their Gorshy Carrier. Navy would obviously deploy carrier in India Ocean but this time no F-14s to face them.
Post Cold war Saw death of yet another good machine.:(

I wouldn't pray to god that cold war should come again. But Cold war Showed the Real war Fighting Capabilities of two most powerful Countries with such wonder weapons being developed and designed.
Best example being B-2 itself.
Some 120 B-2s were to be procured by US AF purely for Nuclear Strike Missions over Soviet Union.
But now they end up with only 20 B-2s, even procuring those was heavily argued because of its high cost.
if cold war did no end, Nobody would have opened their mouth against B-2.

don't you people think importance of Military Forces/weapon system has decreased from cold war.
Common people would always worry about how his nations Military is performing as there was threat from Soviet.
After Soviet Collapse, thing turned towards these stupid and coward terrorists who fight cowardly hiding behind civilians.
much different the Professional Soviet Forces during Cold war.
 

ajay_ijn

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
F-14 fans still shouldn't worry.
If they wanna see them in combat.
They will be pitted against America itself by Iran.

this is werid.
They will use their fighter against the one who supplied, who mastered it and who already retired it.
 

ashkon

New Member
ajay_ijn said:
F-14 fans still shouldn't worry.
If they wanna see them in combat.
They will be pitted against America itself by Iran.
yeah be a shame to see them get shot down
 

ajay_ijn

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
For F-14 fans who love to discuss about it.
There is Exclusive website dedicated to the Last F-14 Carrier Flight.
[SIZE=-1]www.tomcat-sunset.org

would you believe that there is Chinese F-14 Fans Club?
yes there is one
[/SIZE]http://www.tomcat521.com
website is in Chinese Language.
"521" means "I love you".

I made this photo collage.
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/5003/tempty9.gif
 
Last edited:

chargerRT

New Member
hot222 said:
Salute to world's finest fighter!
I second that.
And 3 cheers for everyone who built,flew,maintained,or were simply awestruck,by THE BEST fighter out there.

I think i'll watch Topgun AND The Final Countdown 2nite!

SALUTE,Tomcat.:cat
 

Ding

Member
Salute to the Tomcat, the finest naval fighter of all time. We'll miss you and will always remember you. May we remember you with the rosiest tint for the years to come.

I'm a bit sad as this is my favourite fighter....:D
 

contedicavour

New Member
The US Navy will sorely miss the Tomcat.
The bird is much faster than anything else in USN service.
Example ?
1340 knots max speed for a Tomcat, vs 1030 for F-18C/D and 930 for F-18E/F super hornet.

I would have kept a few in case a carrier had to intercept Tu-22M Backfire C (Mach 2.0 ...)

We'll miss it !

cheers
 

heyjoe

New Member
The Tomcat Legacy

Almost 36 years from first flight to retirement. Unprecedented service on the first string by a Naval fighter and going out still viable and lethal.
 

jaffo4011

New Member
now this really is a shame and the fighter world will be an infinetly worse place!

i really love this aircraft and this is the plane they should have developed forwards,not the f18 which will always be a second string aircraft besides the mighty tomcat!!!!!!
 

contedicavour

New Member
One thing the USN could have done is keep a squadron of Tomcats for the Aggressors unit in Nevada. Those birds are very similar to SU27 Flankers and MIG31 Foxhound and could have been useful for F18 and F15 pilots (or even F22). Russia is gradually becoming more assertive and it can't be totally excluded that one day USAF and USN will have to chase top of the line Russian jets again...

cheers
 

heyjoe

New Member
One thing the USN could have done is keep a squadron of Tomcats for the Aggressors unit in Nevada. Those birds are very similar to SU27 Flankers and MIG31 Foxhound and could have been useful for F18 and F15 pilots (or even F22). Russia is gradually becoming more assertive and it can't be totally excluded that one day USAF and USN will have to chase top of the line Russian jets again...

cheers

It would also do a credible job simulating...itself since the Iranians still operate an unknown number of Tomcats that might be encountered sooner or later. TOPGUN operated a few for a number a years for precisely the reasons you stated above. The aircraft were there and still are for the asking, but cost per flight hour is prohibitive as it would be operating the real thing (we looked at a squadron of Flankers in 1992-3 timeframe).
 

Magoo

Defense Professional
Verified Defense Pro
It would also do a credible job simulating...itself since the Iranians still operate an unknown number of Tomcats that might be encountered sooner or later. TOPGUN operated a few for a number a years for precisely the reasons you stated above. The aircraft were there and still are for the asking, but cost per flight hour is prohibitive as it would be operating the real thing (we looked at a squadron of Flankers in 1992-3 timeframe).
Plus, it's been rumoured that the USN and USAF front line units get to 'play' against a couple of real Flankers based out at Tonopah from time to time, so the jet and its capabilities are now very well understood.

Cheers

Magoo
 

Magoo

Defense Professional
Verified Defense Pro
Actually heyjoe, being (I assume) a former F-14 driver/RIO, I'd be interested in your (as unbiased as possible) views on the F-14D vs the F/A-18F in the various roles both have been employed in.

Cheers

Magoo
 

heyjoe

New Member
Actually heyjoe, being (I assume) a former F-14 driver/RIO, I'd be interested in your (as unbiased as possible) views on the F-14D vs the F/A-18F in the various roles both have been employed in.

Cheers

Magoo
Well, with a little research you'd find I indeed have 2000+ hours in the Tomcat so can't hide that fact. Before and since retirement, I have worked weapons integration on Tomcat, Hornet and Super Hornet (as well as Raptor, Eagle, Viper and even JSF) so I'm not knowingly biased towards or against any type/model/series.

This isn't a dodge of question so bear with me. I have seen so many bemoan retirement of Tomcat and others critique the Super Hornet and others debate the finer points of various fighter and other aircraft designs. Without a doubt, the Raptor represents the epitome of an aircraft designed to gain air superiority over a hostile IADS. But that comes with a hefty price tag so it has its place, but even the aging Tomcat performed daily over Kosovo in the midst of a significant surface-to-air threat so is stealth a mandatory characteristic? Experience there would say not as much as thought before. Looking at the conflicts since and still ongoing, stealth is less of high primary than endurance and weapons loadout making the Super Hornet look pretty advantageous in scenarios where aircraft are used as on-call support.

So back to the Tomcat and F/A-18F. The Tomcat community found itself almost out of a job with the fall of the Soviet Union and end of Desert Storm. Two squadrons of "interceptors" per air wing carrying Phoenix missiles suddenly looked inappropriate and by the mid nineties, half of them were disestablished and just before they were all relegated tot he desert or scrap pile, along came LANTRIN for the Tomcat in 1996 and the FAC (A) mission for the community. Separate initiatives, but vey complimentary and together set the stage for the two place Super Hornet in the air wing. Without the sustained combat baptism of fire over Kosovo in 1999, the F model might never have gone to sea except as a two place RAG CQ training sortie.

All along, the Tomcats reinvigorated the two place aircraft role in the air wing during its last decade of service and as the Super Hornet transition began. I was in both Ready Rooms all along. One of my former JOs said to me, "I'm so glad I got a tour in Tomcats, but this jet is really sweet...everything works!". Another more senior close friend of mine was selected as first former Tomcat CO of the Super Hornet RAG at Lemoore. As we watched the Super Hornet's debut at Farnborough, he turned to me and siad, "I loved the Tomcat, but I've never looked back".

In terms of raw power and acceleration, the Tomcat has the Super Hornet beat, but is that really needed any more. Some say not. The Super Hornet is a much better systems aircraft with a multitude of weapons loadout options and combinations that a Tomcat driver can only dream about all coupled to the sweet JHMCS; soon to be in both cockpits.

So the Tomcat to many is like the Harley Davidson motorcycle or better said, a 70s Firebird (I know that's a favorite of a certain Aussie senior F-111 type I have crossed paths with over the years) with a few few after market mods whereas the Super Hornet is the brandnew factory equipped stock Lexus; everything works and there's lots of human systems integration aspects with reasonable power but nothing like the unbridled appeal of the muscle car of the seventies yet there's nary as complaint from the former Tomcat Ready Rooms. Aircrews want to perform and take iron to the target day and night good weather and bad. I miss seeing the Tomcat in the pattern at nearby Oceana, but retirement 36 years after first flight is unheard of in a Naval Aviation fighter or attack aircraft and few if any have gone into their sunset while still being so viable.
 
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