Not something you see every day

Max2147 · 08-03-09, 06:03 PM

The story I've heard is that the MiG-25 was a response to the B-70, and the F-15 was a response to the MiG-25.

I think the F-14 was designed to fight off the threat of long-range Soviet anti-ship missiles, not any specific fighter design. In the days before Aegis, the Navy needed a plane that could take down Soviet bombers before they got within missile range of American carriers. So they needed an interceptor with long range, high speed, and a very powerful radar. But most importantly, it had to be able to fire lots of very long-range missiles simultaneously and accurately.

The first attempt to build that plane was the F-111B. It was McNamara's baby, and it had all the qualities that I mentioned above. Unfortunately, that was all it had. It carried 6 Phoenix missiles, but no other armament. It was overweight and underpowered, and it was a lousy carrier plane (narrow landing gear, too big, etc.). With no short-range missiles, no gun, and a turning radius that almost made the B-52 look nimble, it was hopeless in a dogfight, and Vietnam was proving that Navy fighters still had to dogfight. The F-4 had proven that you could take a Navy fighter and turn it into an Air Force fighter, but the F-111B proved that you couldn't take an Air Force bomber and turn it into a Navy fighter.

When the F-111B finally got axed, the Navy got to design and build their own fighter, and the F-14 came from that program.

08-03-09, 06:03 PM	#10
Max2147 Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 714 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The story I've heard is that the MiG-25 was a response to the B-70, and the F-15 was a response to the MiG-25. I think the F-14 was designed to fight off the threat of long-range Soviet anti-ship missiles, not any specific fighter design. In the days before Aegis, the Navy needed a plane that could take down Soviet bombers before they got within missile range of American carriers. So they needed an interceptor with long range, high speed, and a very powerful radar. But most importantly, it had to be able to fire lots of very long-range missiles simultaneously and accurately. The first attempt to build that plane was the F-111B. It was McNamara's baby, and it had all the qualities that I mentioned above. Unfortunately, that was all it had. It carried 6 Phoenix missiles, but no other armament. It was overweight and underpowered, and it was a lousy carrier plane (narrow landing gear, too big, etc.). With no short-range missiles, no gun, and a turning radius that almost made the B-52 look nimble, it was hopeless in a dogfight, and Vietnam was proving that Navy fighters still had to dogfight. The F-4 had proven that you could take a Navy fighter and turn it into an Air Force fighter, but the F-111B proved that you couldn't take an Air Force bomber and turn it into a Navy fighter. When the F-111B finally got axed, the Navy got to design and build their own fighter, and the F-14 came from that program.