Forget the F-35: Why America’s Military misses the F-14 Tomcat (Video) October 17, 2017 Nicola US Air Force </p> <h2>Why America’s Military misses the F-14 TOMCAT</h2> <p> The F-35C was never designed to be an air superiority fighter. Indeed, naval planners in the mid-1990s wanted the JSF to be a strike-oriented aircraft with only a 6.5G airframe load limit with very limited air-to-air capability, according to one retired U.S. Navy official. Indeed, some naval planners at the time had discussed retiring the F-14 in favor of keeping the Grumman A-6 Intruder in service. During this period, many officials believed air combat to be a relic of the past in the post-Cold War era. They anticipated most future conflicts to be air-to-ground oriented in those years immediately following the Soviet collapse.</p> <p> Please support our Sponsors -
