I'm infuriated that they sent my favorite fighter since kindergarten to the scrapyard! I know the F/A-18E/F is a pile of ****, why is it becoming the next navy strike-fighter? it doesn't even have half the range, payload, or capabilities of the TOMCAT! Go Admiral Paul Gilcrest!
2007-03-08 12:27:47 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Obsolete, my ***! The F/A-18E/F is a full generation BEHIND the air force's new F/A-22. You know who chose it over the F-14D Super Tomcat 21? A sub driver! Pentagon's just impressed with the shiny new digital cockpit and lower cost. If the DoD actually gave the Navy some funds to work with, then instead of super hornets we'd be flying super toms! The hornet's a good plane, I grant you, but it can't be improved; it's too small. They added more surface to the wing and a ventral fuel tank. This adds weight, and those GE F-404s can't keep up. now, super tom 21, that's a big airframe, can carry a ton, great range, great speed, exceptional maneuverability... this shitcans our navy for at least a decade. and the soviet threat is still there; it just ain't soviet anymore. Chinese air force has Su-27s! only toms, eagles, maybe falcons can take them on! tell me there are still saner minds out there!
2007-03-09 12:22:09 · update #1
what other missile besides the AIM-54C has the range? sure the AMRAAM may be more accurate, but COME ON! 124 miles vs. 20 miles. and the Phoenix is Mach 5, and super maneuverable (at least, when the rocket is still firing). but i'll agree that it is expensive (million bucks apiece, no ****). and studies have shown that, with improvements, the tom can be made stealthier. and maybe if the navy updated its systems, maitenance costs and times would be reduced.
2007-03-09 12:25:50 · update #2
The Tomcat is old, expensive to maintain, and not stealthy. Its key advantages are endurance and the ability to carry the AIM-54 Phoenix, but that missile just isn't really necessary anymore, because the massive hordes of Soviet bombers arrayed against carrier battle groups no longer exist. The Phoenix is almost too expensive to use anyway, and its fire-and-forget capabilities are mirrored by the newer, smaller, and cheaper AMRAAM. I like the F-14, too, and I wish they'd built the Tomcat 21, but the fact is that it's becoming obsolete. Multi-role aircraft with improved stealth characteristics are the wave of the future.
2007-03-08 18:16:55 · answer #1 · answered by Fred 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The F-18E/F is a training vehical for the JSF. The numbers I saw say the F-18E/F at best is a fleet protection vehical and not even a medium range bomber which at least the JSF is.
I think the JSF will even replace the F-18E/F.
2007-03-08 17:47:20 · answer #2 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
F-22. Raptor!!!
2007-03-08 21:56:33 · answer #3 · answered by Tropango 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋