F-14 Tomcat or F-15 Eagle?

Question

i was just thinking that America's BEST FIGHTER is leaving service and wanted to see if anyone could convince me different...

In response, it is still operational, final curtain is in Sept.

see: http://www.tomcat-sunset.org/

http://instapinch.com/blog/?cat=9

VF-31 will be the last FITRON

apples to oranges? LOL... they had to MAKE the F-15E to do what a Tomcat could already do... 2 place deep interdiction precision strike aircraft. and ROVER revolutionized CAS capabilities...

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21377

another great point would be the Air-to Air record of the Iranian F-14 Fleet. and if the Navy were allowed to make fighter sweeps in the Gulf War i'm sure the results would have been more kills for sure...

Answer 1

I like the tomcat for distance fights with those very long range phoenix missiles. US F-14's have never been shot down not that people haven't tried poor Libyans. I've never seen an F-15 land on a carrier I think it might get messy. In a dogfight the F-15 does have better acceleration than a F-14. This is because the F-14 never really got the upgrades it deserved. However in the looks department the F-14 rules ask any anime artist which plane they are inspired most by. I think the decision was made years ago to replace the F-14 with the F-18 due to space and cost. The plane is big not a good characteristic on a carrier and expensive. It won't be long before the F-15 is pushed out by the F-22. The new planes are so expensive something will have to go.

Answer 2

F-14

Answer 3

The F-14 is already out of operational service so your question implies the F-15 is the BEST FIGHTER. The best operational fighter is none of the above, but the F-16. Look at the number of actual enemy kills, the cost per plane, the outcome of any F-14 or F-15 practice engagement with an F-16, and the answer is evident - the F-16 is still the best fighter in the world. Big does not equal better.

P.S. - for those who might argue the F/A 18 is better, remember is was the unanimous second place finisher in the F-16 vs F-18 competition for a light weight fighter in the beginning. And don't ignore cost - an F-15 is twice the cost of an F-16 to buy and operate. Everyone I talk to would far rather have twice the F-16's in their force structure than half as many F-15's.

Answer 4

While both planes in you question are very well engineered aircraft, you need to remember that they are two very different planes. The Tomcat is a variable pitch wing while the Eagle is a fixed wing. This gives the F-14 a very big advantage at slow speed. The F-15 Eagle is also more of a bomber attack platform while the F-14D which is the last model evolution of the cat is a very versitile multi role fighter. In my opinion the best aircraft have been left out. Super Hornet and Raptor come to mind

Answer 5

As far as styling goes, F-14 is a beauty. But if you have a duel with two equally-skilled pilots, the tomcat would most likely lose to the F-16, F-15, and F/A-18.

I think the best looking air-superiority fighter (at least from the front-end view) is the Yf-23, which lost to the Yf-22 in the early 90s. I think the reason was because it was less maneuverable. Wing area was slightly larger than F-15, and had no thrust-vectoring nozzles. The only non-U.S. plane which seems to have rivaled or even exceeded the F-15's air combat abilities was the russian su-27 flanker.

Answer 6

Sadly, the Tomcat is leaving. There was a article talking about how we loved the Tomcat, Such as the `86 film Top Gun with peagan Tom Cruse. The f-15 is getting outscourced to the fa-22. The f--22 is stealthy, and will keep us with air supeority. Not a single usaf f-15 has ever been shot down.

Answer 7

F-15 Eagle definitely. The F-15E strike eagle to be specific. (Superiority in air to air and air to ground) F-14 tomcat is slower and not as agile as the F-15. That's why some F-15's can take out F-22's (simulated). (although quite rare) But, you'll never see a F-14 shooting down a F-22 or a F-15. (unless by luck)

Answer 8

Tomcat

Answer 9

Tomcat

Answer 10

Doesn't matter. Both have seen their day and have (more or less) been replaced with the F/A 22 Raptor. The 14 was good for
close carrier/fleet protection, but the 15 was the work horse of it's era. I was an FIS jock (Korea and Greenland) and was privileged to have flown the 86,89 and the 102. The dollar-deuce was so good they brought out a big sister, the 106. The 22 will replace several birds around the world.