What-If: F-14 Super Tomcat 21

[Kilroy Was Here]

I read this article about a week ago, and I’ve been meaning to share it here... a really interesting what-if for Tomcat lovers (and others):

 

This Is What Grumman's Proposed F-14 Super Tomcat 21 Would Have Actually Looked Like

[thierry laurent]

Interesting! 

 

Unfortunately the cat complexity and lack of standardization between the batches resulted in a quite expensive maintenance nightmare. The reasonable approach could have been a fully new batch if the swing-wing technology was not outdated. The fact stays that in spite of all the problems the Navy lost its most efficient assets and this could have been considered differently. It was possibly the result of the impossible situation combining the need to buy expensive silver bullet weapons and at the same time being involved in various wars rather asking for good antiguerrila means! Cost aside, I cannot stop thinking to the most hated and beloved USAF plane that was a product of the same era: the A-10...