![]() To complete the picture of mission distances, the S-3s would have to dash back to the carriers, hot refuel, and meet the raid coming out of Afghanistan, which would be much in need of JP-4 cocktails. Accompanying F-18s have only a 350-mile radius carrying about half the bomb load. ![]() The unrefueled radius of an F-14D carrying the normal strike load (four 2,000-pound LGBs, two HARMs, two Sidewinders, plus 675 rounds of 20 mm ammo, and two 280-gallon external tanks) is at least 500 miles. If, however, an F-18 refuels in the same spot, it will barely make it to Kabul. Reaching Kabul in Afghanistan would require a oneway flight of roughly 825 statute miles.Īssuming the use of S-3 tankers, an F-14D strike refueling somewhere between the towns of Quetta and Sukkur in Pakistan wouldn’t have any trouble attacking targets in the northernmost parts of Afghanistan. Along this line, the group would be somewhat west of Karachi. To avoid Silkworm missiles, the carrier battle group probably would not want to venture north of a line joining Masqat in Oman and Ahmadabad in Pakistan. It is, however, obvious that reaching the target presents a great challenge. Within these four seemingly simple rules are the needs for an airplane to have a long range while carrying sufficient munitions to hammer a target, and still be able to fight its way through enemy aircraft and AAA threats.īecause our government doesn’t tell us all of its secrets, we had to make some assumptions while using Afghanistan as an example. Return to the carrier before running out of gas.Don’t get shot down by surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), or enemy fighters.(Photo by Ted Carlson/)Īs shown over Afghanistan, there were four basic requirements for any carrier strike force: They also validate upgrades to ensure the fleet receives the best product possible. ![]() Based at China Lake, California, the Vampires are instrumental in ensuring the fleet receives new aircraft that have had all of the bugs worked out of them. Often, however, the definition of “deep interdiction” is changed to fit the aircraft being discussed, rather than taking into account the real-world theater of operations for which it is destined.Ī VX-9 “Vampires” F/A-18F Super Hornet blazes over the desert during an operational test mission. The requirements for a practical, deep interdiction fighter/bomber have long been the subject of controversy within the naval aviation community, especially when it comes to the F-14D Tomcat versus F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Their analysis makes an interesting statement when placed against the backdrop of the current ongoing war on terrorism. He was also the engineering manager for the original design and development of the F-14 Tomcat. Bob Kress was an aeronautical engineer, and during his long career at Grumman, he was directly involved in the development of a wide range of fighters. ![]() Rear Admiral Paul Gillcrist spent 33 years as a fighter pilot and wing commander and was operations commander of all Pacific Fleet fighters. In this comparison, our two experts argue that the Super Hornet was not necessarily the airplane the Navy needed for the future, and their backgrounds lend weight to their arguments. So it made perfect sense to publish our classic feature "Battle of the Superfighters" as well as some of the passionate reader responses it generated. With the long anticipated Paramount Pictures movie sequel, Top Gun: Maverick coming out in June, we noted that in the original 1986 movie, Maverick was flying the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, but in the new sequel he is at the controls of the F-18 Super Hornet. This was especially true for the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet. (Photo courtesy of VF-31.)ĮDITOR’S NOTE: Every aircraft that goes into service is accompanied by controversy. A veteran of 177 sorties on cruise for a total of 545 flying hours, this jet dropped a GBU-38 while in the NAG overall, six VF-31 Tomcats expended JDAM. 164343) fly the flag over northern Iraq, December 30, 2005. Battle of the Superfighters Flight Journal | June 2020 F-14D Tomcat vs F/A - 18E/F Super Hornet BOB KRESS AND REAR ADM.
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