The F-14 Tomcat Had F-22-Like Air Speed – Retired Too Early?

[rangerrebew]

The F-14 Tomcat Had F-22-Like Air Speed – Retired Too Early?
The famous 2-seater F-14 Tomcat has found a permanent resting place in the hearts and minds of US Navy personnel and countless other aviation enthusiasts

Kris Osborn · January 1, 2025

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization


The famous 2-seater F-14 Tomcat has found a permanent resting place in the hearts and minds of US Navy personnel and countless other aviation enthusiasts. The airframe became known for its advanced speed and dogfighting ability.

Not only did the aircraft achieve Top Gun fame, but it is also known for going through an evolutionary process, resulting in a highly capable jet.

A lesser-known ability of the F-14 is its incredible Mach 2.3 speed, which places it alongside the F-22 as the fastest US fighter jet ever.

https://warriormaven.com/sea/the-retired-f-14-tomcat-had-f-22-like-air-speed-retired-too-early

[rangerrebew]

This causes me to question the wisdom of retiring the A-10 and B-1, not that the military gives a damn what I think.

[PeteS in CA]

1. The F-15C's top speed is Mach 2.45, faster than the F-14D.

2. The F-15C's thrust-to-weight ratio is 1.07. The F-14D's was .88.

3. The F-15C's wing loading is 73.1 lbs./sq. ft.. The F-14D's was 96 lbs./sq. ft..

4. The F-15C's service ceiling is 65000 feet. The F-14D's was 53000.

The F-22's performance is similar to that of the F-15, though .2 Mach less fast and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.08. A big difference between the F-22 and the F-14/15 is that the latters' cruising speed is under 500 Kn, while the F-22 can supercruise at Mach 1.76.

Unlike the F-15C and F-22, The F-14D could not carry and control the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which involves more than just attaching the missile to a pylon. The AIM-54, which the F-14D could carry and control, was very outdated and designed for bombers that are not agile, like fighters.

The F-14 had reached the limit of its upgradeability, the F-15 is pushing that limit, and the F-22 incorporates modern technologies while probably being at the mid-range of its upgradeability. The F-14 was retired at about the right time, at its attainable peak but before some newer and more capable opponent bested it in combat.

Then there's radar cross-section:



The F-14 would have been in the same range as an F-15 or F-4. The F-22 would be some 6 orders of magnitude less easy to detect and lock onto than an F-14.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Did someone at the Pentagon watch 'Top Gun: Maverick' again?

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, the F-14 had pretty much run its course, being originally designed to intercept and take down Soviet long-ranged naval bombers carrying cruise missiles.  It was huge, a gas guzzler, and a hangar queen.  The Navy's problem was, and is, that the service never really developed a proper replacement, going instead for the slower and shorter-ranged F-18.