Is there a replacement in sight for the F-14 Tomcat?

[NFS4]

I know that the F-22 is going to replace the F-15 in the Air Force, but what's going to take the place of the F-14?

 

[Zim Hosein]

I believe it's the JSF if I'm not mistaken.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
I believe it's the JSF if I'm not mistaken.

The JSF is supposed to replace the F/A 18 A/B/C/D in naval operations. The F/A 18E/F will supplant the JSF. The JSF is too small a plane (and with not enough internal weapons storage; or external hardpoints for that matter) to replace the F-14.

 

[Nemesis77]

Does F-14 need replacing? It can still fire those Phoenix-missiles .

 

[Zim Hosein]

Are you talking about the F-14D?

 

[klah]

There have been no F-14's manufactured since 1991. There are around 180 F-14's in service and they are retiring about 20/yr. There is not a direct replacement. The navy is procuring a mixture of F/A-18E/F and JSF jets.

 

[white]

yeah, i believe it's the JSF.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: klah
There have been no F-14's manufactured since 1991. There are around 180 F-14's in service and they are retiring about 20/yr. There is not a direct replacement. The navy is procuring a mixture of F/A-18E/F and JSF jets.

klah, I should have posted what you did about the last manufacturing date of F-14's as from what's I've read online, the addition of letters to the F-14 name are retro-fits w/ the latest tech to make them "current."

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: white
yeah, i believe it's the JSF.

Nope, well not at least as a direct replacement. The JSF is just TOO limited by it's stealth characteristics:

USAF-Multi-role aircraft (primarily air-to-ground) to replace F-16 and A-10 and to complement F-22. The Air Force JSF variant poses the smallest relative engineering challenge. The aircraft has no hover criteria to satisfy, and the characteristics and handling qualities associated with carrier operations do not come into play. As the biggest customer for the JSF, the service will not accept a multirole F-16 fighter replacement that doesn't significantly improve on the original.

USN-Multi-role, stealthy strike fighter to complement F/A-18E/F. Carrier operations account for most of the differences between the Navy version and the other JSF variants. The aircraft has larger wing and tail control surfaces to better manage low-speed approaches. The internal structure of the Navy variant is strengthened up to handle the loads associated with catapult launches and arrested landings. The aircraft has a carrier-suitable tailhook. Its landing gear has a longer stroke and higher load capacity. The aircraft has almost twice the range of an F-18C on internal fuel. The design is also optimized for survivability.

USMC-Multi-role Short Take-Off & Vertical Landing (STOVL) strike fighter to replace AV-8B and F/A-18A/C/D. The Marine variant distinguishes itself from the other variants with its short takeoff/vertical landing capability.

UK-STOVL (supersonic) aircraft to replace the Sea Harrier. Britain's Royal Navy JSF will be very similar to the U.S. Marine variant.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/jsf.htm

 

[Zugzwang152]

The X-35 design is suhweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

 

[AndrewR]

There won't be a direct replacement. The F-14 as originally conceived was an interceptor, which hasn't been a major component of the U.S. military, unlike the Soviet Union with their MiG-25 and MiG-31. The F-14D added some ground attack capability and rounded out the roles of the Tomcat. With limited deck space on a carrier, my guess is that the Navy wanted to maximize the number of missions each airframe could accomplish so didn't want another dedicated air to air platform like the earlier Tomcat.

The closest "pure" replacement for the Tomcat is the Super Hornet. Obviously, it's multirole, but it's a large, relatively conventional air superiority and attack aircraft, unlike the JSF which is primarily attack. With that mix of planes, you can have the Super Hornets focus on enemy aircraft while the F-35s take out surface to air missiles and dangerous AAA. Once the enemy air defense threat is reduced, the Super Hornets can then switch to bombing missions alongside the F-35s. It makes more sense than having F-14s flying around uselessly or only with limited AG capability.

 

[TapTap]

The closest "pure" replacement for the Tomcat is the Super Hornet. Obviously, it's multirole, but it's a large, relatively conventional air superiority and attack aircraft, unlike the JSF which is primarily attack. With that mix of planes, you can have the Super Hornets focus on enemy aircraft while the F-35s take out surface to air missiles and dangerous AAA. Once the enemy air defense threat is reduced, the Super Hornets can then switch to bombing missions alongside the F-35s. It makes more sense than having F-14s flying around uselessly or only with limited AG capability.

Bingo.