Su-27s in US Navy fleet and USAF and F-14 upgrade

[Bajastylee]

Well let me clear one thing I dont really think that this is going to happen. We would be to "ashamed" to do it. Any way I read these 2 articles on Flight Journals website.

One was about the F-18E vs. F-14, and what I read was really interesting, and made me wonder, "why the powers that be didn't think to do this." It almost seems to easy to upgrade the excisiting F-14s to todays standard if the F/A-18E/F is really as bad as they say.

The second article was about buying Su-27s and upgrading them with our engines, avionics, and control system. And the birds themselves only cost about 8 million a piece.

Anyway I was just wondering what you guys thought of that, and if you had any idea why they wouldn't just upgrade the F-14. I can understand the Su-27 deal, but would like to hear your thoughts regardless.

The website is www.flightjournal.com when your on there go to "FJ store" and click on sample articles. after that it is just a matter of scrolling down. And I apologize if this has been posted already. I'm in Afghanistan and I find it hard to stay up to date.
And to clarify one more thing the F-14 is basically dead now. Thanks.

 

[46Driver]

"why they wouldn't just upgrade the F-14"

I would bet on maintenance, cost per flight hour, parts supply, airframe stress.

 

[Broadsword2004]

Well, for not buying Su planes, my guess would be national pride; also, air superiority. Russia isn't our best friend; it isn't our enemy, but it isn't any ally like Britain is supposed to be. Buying jets from them would mean we probably cease building our own fighters a good degree, or cut research.

Maybe I'm wrong, it might free up money for more fighter research, but the whole point of buying foreign fighters, I would think, would be so that you don't have to spend the money to create your own, so I think it would be the former.

Personally I think it would be a bad idea, because air dominance is too important these days to sacrifice (i.e. become dependent on foreign planes and not your own). And especially from Russia.

 

[zuggerat]

u guys (minus UInavy) are on crack

 

[Broadsword2004]

Cool your heels folks, jeez. It's a MILITARY AVIATION IN GENERAL thread. It is just a light discussion. I am glad though that that idea is outdated.

 

[A4sForever]

Cool your heels folks, jeez.

Point of correction.....it's "cool your 'JETS'", vice "heels". Some of the guys on these forums may, in fact, BE heels----present company on THIS thread excepted, of course----but "JETS" would be using the correct vernacular.

Just kidding.............

 

[Punk]

Well, for not buying Su planes, my guess would be national pride; also, air superiority. Russia isn't our best friend; it isn't our enemy, but it isn't any ally like Britain is supposed to be. Buying jets from them would mean we probably cease building our own fighters a good degree, or cut research.

Maybe I'm wrong, it might free up money for more fighter research, but the whole point of buying foreign fighters, I would think, would be so that you don't have to spend the money to create your own, so I think it would be the former.

Personally I think it would be a bad idea, because air dominance is too important these days to sacrifice (i.e. become dependent on foreign planes and not your own). And especially from Russia.

cause we only buy the best jets from our allies, specifically Britain, I mean, just look how great the Goshawk and Harrier are (after all the extra millions we had to sink into them to make them workable)

 

[HeyJoe]

Putting our engines and avionics into a Su-27 series aircraft isn't feasible due to costs and time it would take along with a bunch of other issues. Upgrading the Tomcat isn't a starter either, the venerable Tomcat is tired and needs a a new airframe to replace it. It's going out on a high with a sterling rep in the precision strike role ( a lot of irony there exelling in a role never envisioned and even more in what's coming out of Iran in Tom Cooper's Iran-Iraq War in which he chronicles outstanding performance of Tomcat against Iraq crediting it with over 100 kills so Tomcat's prowess in air-to-air ends up being proven outside US Navy.....if you take his accounts to be true, then it's not a stretch to see why no Iraqis would get close to Tomcats in Desert Storm). At any rate, the Super Hornet is here and that's not going to change. The former Tomcat aircrew who have transitioned to the Super Hornet who I have talked to aren't disappointed. It's new, it has much better systems integration and many more weapons options and going to get AESA before long. With Link 16 and JHMCS, it's a super platform and that's what works best with weapons like JDAM and JSOW. Perhaps some Super Hornet aircrew night weigh in as I am only passing on what I hear second hand. Cheers, HJ

PS When still active and serving in Pentagon, we looked hard at Su-27 for Adversary role and it was way too expensive to operate them no matter what we did to them. I wanted to make this happen and couldn't connect the dots.