Save the Tomcat!

[JALU3]

For the Love of Humanity! Someone please ask someone within the Beltway to save a few Tomcats!

Presently the US Government is paying good money to shread these things out of operational existance.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/02/shr....ap/index.html
However, they are not keeping any around for those in the future, to see them, in flight, at air shows and other venues.
The USAF keep a handful of F-4s operational to keep a tie to their flight history. Why does the USN not follow their lead and keep a few F-14s and A-6s operational for the same reason?

[The Avon Lady]

I say let them solve their own problems.

[bookworm_020]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Good one AL!

If only that was the Tomcat that was being shredded!

I think the big reason that it's being done is that Iran is the only country still flying them. They have being scavaging spare parts by the black market and any spares that have been sold as military surplus.

This is the way they have come up with to stop Iran getting the parts it needs to keep them flying

[SUBMAN1]

Most museums already have one (or even 2), so whats the point? If anyone should be spending some money on a war relic that might yeild some useful results, they should be looking at getting an Iowa class bank in service.

Just my opinion.

-S

[Reaves]

The Tomcats a relic. It'll cost way too much for museums to keep them flight ready so it'll probably be no more air shows for them. Kind of sad but you can't keep every aircraft that ever flew around.

Here is a list:

http://www.f-14association.com/display.htm

[Heibges]

This reminds me of the thousands of rusting old M-48's and M-60's sitting in "long terms motorpools" I used to see on Army bases.

[JALU3]

Although I can understand the need to inhibit Irans access to spare parts for their tomcats, I wouldn't think that keeping three aircraft flight ready would be unreasonable. It would be just like the the end of seeing B-29s in the air (as far as I am aware there are no flight capable B-29s).

As for the Iowas, keeping two on inactive reserve would be completely understandable, rather then strickening them from the NVR all together, as they have now done. Futhermore, even though they are manpower intensive, for the cost of one of the new Zumerwalts (DD-1000) they can surely modernize one or two Iowas. In the case of the Iowa, if there is still significant damage to turret 2 (God rest the souls of those who died within it), it could be replaced with Mk 41 VLS tubes.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by JALU3

The USAF keep a handful of F-4s operational to keep a tie to their flight history. Why does the USN not follow their lead and keep a few F-14s and A-6s operational for the same reason?

I heard that there maybe a few A-6Es in service as anti-narco platforms... no not droping dozens of snakeyes on Coco fields but using that fantastic FLIR systems to track small planes and boats along the US-Mexico border.