How America's F-15 Fighter Almost Joined the US Navy (On an Aircraft Carrier)

Onkel Neal · 05-16-17, 05:23 AM

How America's F-15 Fighter Almost Joined the US Navy (On an Aircraft Carrier)

Quote:

Was the Sea Eagle a viable concept? The problem is the one that we are seeing with today's F-35: an aircraft that must serve more than one master inevitably sacrifices performance in some area (in fact, the F-14 was born after the Pentagon's abortive attempt to make the ill-fated F-111 a joint Air Force and navy fighter). To turn the F-15 into a carrier-based interceptor like the F-14 would have required so many design changes that the hybrid beast would probably have been inferior to either the F-15 or F-14.

Which points to the real problem: The Air Force and Navy have always had different requirements. In the 1970s, the Air Force wanted a powerful, highly maneuverable dogfighter to prevent a repeat of what happened when its F-4 Phantoms battled more nimble MiGs over Vietnam. Though ironically, the Air Force did at one point consider the F-14 as a replacement for the F-106 interceptor.

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em2nought · 05-16-17, 05:33 PM

We should still be building F-14s to this day.

Jimbuna · 05-17-17, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by em2nought

We should still be building F-14s to this day.

Yep, I believe the Iranians are desperately short of spare parts

ikalugin · 05-18-17, 03:36 AM

I mean Tomcat was a good air defense interceptor, with it's Phoenix long range air to air missiles.

ironkross · 06-05-17, 06:22 PM

This one for all concept is what concerns me about the F-35 in all it's versions.

ETR3(SS) · 06-08-17, 02:36 PM

The Navy and Air Force list their own specific needs for an aircraft and all Congress sees/hears is "I need a plane to shoot down other planes and drop bombs." And that boys and girls is how the F-35 was born. Could argue the F-4 as well, and the F-111.

05-16-17, 05:33 PM	#2
em2nought Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 3,485 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	We should still be building F-14s to this day. __________________ em2nought is ecstatic garbage!

05-18-17, 03:36 AM	#4
ikalugin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 3,212 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	I mean Tomcat was a good air defense interceptor, with it's Phoenix long range air to air missiles. __________________ Grumpy as always.

06-05-17, 06:22 PM	#5
ironkross Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seneca, SC, USA Posts: 251 Downloads: 64 Uploads: 0	This one for all concept is what concerns me about the F-35 in all it's versions. __________________ If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

06-08-17, 02:36 PM	#6
ETR3(SS) Ocean Warrior Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Between test depth and periscope depth Posts: 3,021 Downloads: 175 Uploads: 16	The Navy and Air Force list their own specific needs for an aircraft and all Congress sees/hears is "I need a plane to shoot down other planes and drop bombs." And that boys and girls is how the F-35 was born. Could argue the F-4 as well, and the F-111. __________________ USS Kentucky SSBN 737 (G) Comms Div 2003-2006 Qualified 19 November 03 Yes I was really on a submarine.