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<blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 3271501" data-attributes="member: 32740">Hence its being built in at least 4 (?) seperate incarnations intended to specialize/fulfill distinct roles for the various branches.&nbsp; The British and USMC are the ones interested in the V-STOL version.&nbsp; Can't speak to the British thinking but my understanding of the USMC desire for that capability is the complete lack of need for airstrips for forward deployment.&nbsp; Their use will be primarily close infantry support.&nbsp; The USAF on the other hand is more about establishing and maintaining air superiority so they don't want or need V-STOL.&nbsp; The USN deploys from carriers and that brings particular design demands.&nbsp; They don't need the S-VTOL but they DO need landing gear from HELL to absorb the destructive impact of carrier traps which are not so much landings as controlled crashes.&nbsp; The Air Force does not need such landing gear impact absorbtion and so can sacrifice that weight for more conventional landing gear and greater payload, etc.Or so I'm led to understand from what small bits I've read on the subject.Well the older they get the more they do cost in terms of maintenance and overhauls, yes?&nbsp; The F-14 has been completely replaced by the F-18, just as the F-14 came into service as a replacement for the F-4.&nbsp; The F-4 was not entirely useless either - but newer planes generally mean faster, more efficient, able to use the latest weaponry (the F-14's large size and weight was due to its radar and ability to carry the AIM-54 Phoenix).&nbsp; I don't think even the National Guard still flys the F-14 and a quick look at Wikipedia says that Iran is the only Air Force using them (and the only foreign power they were ever sold to anyway, and that was obviously prior to the overthrow of the Shah).&nbsp; The B-52 is still flying because it's still economical to do so and fills a role in the types of wars we see today, but also because they've been retrofitted (most visibly with carbon-fiber wings).&nbsp; There's no need to continue to retrofit and overhaul planes like the F-14 if there's a complete replacement entering inventory.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Man in the Funny Hat, post: 3271501, member: 32740"] Hence its being built in at least 4 (?) seperate incarnations intended to specialize/fulfill distinct roles for the various branches. The British and USMC are the ones interested in the V-STOL version. Can't speak to the British thinking but my understanding of the USMC desire for that capability is the complete lack of need for airstrips for forward deployment. Their use will be primarily close infantry support. The USAF on the other hand is more about establishing and maintaining air superiority so they don't want or need V-STOL. The USN deploys from carriers and that brings particular design demands. They don't need the S-VTOL but they DO need landing gear from HELL to absorb the destructive impact of carrier traps which are not so much landings as controlled crashes. The Air Force does not need such landing gear impact absorbtion and so can sacrifice that weight for more conventional landing gear and greater payload, etc. Or so I'm led to understand from what small bits I've read on the subject. Well the older they get the more they do cost in terms of maintenance and overhauls, yes? The F-14 has been completely replaced by the F-18, just as the F-14 came into service as a replacement for the F-4. The F-4 was not entirely useless either - but newer planes generally mean faster, more efficient, able to use the latest weaponry (the F-14's large size and weight was due to its radar and ability to carry the AIM-54 Phoenix). I don't think even the National Guard still flys the F-14 and a quick look at Wikipedia says that Iran is the only Air Force using them (and the only foreign power they were ever sold to anyway, and that was obviously prior to the overthrow of the Shah). The B-52 is still flying because it's still economical to do so and fills a role in the types of wars we see today, but also because they've been retrofitted (most visibly with carbon-fiber wings). There's no need to continue to retrofit and overhaul planes like the F-14 if there's a complete replacement entering inventory. [/QUOTE]

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