Chapter 1277 F14 ‘Panda’ Fighter Jet Retired

The last F-14 ‘Panda’ fighter completed its last take-off and landing mission on an aircraft carrier. Since then, the legendary fighter, which has been in service for 34 years, has officially withdrawn from the stage of history.

With the announcement of the news by the US Department of Defense, the whole world was surprised, and countless fans of the F-14 ‘Panda’ fighter were also shocked and reluctant.

The F-14 ‘Panda’ fighter can be said to be the most classic fighter during the Cold War, without a doubt!

Even the F-15 fighter and the F-16 fighter are not as classic as the F-14 ‘Panda’ fighter.

The F-14 ‘Panda’ fighter has become the perfect idol in the minds of countless military enthusiasts with its unparalleled combat performance, domineering aerodynamic layout and rough lines full of violent aesthetics. It has attracted countless fans with a Hollywood blockbuster ‘Top Gun’ and swept thousands of fans around the world.

However, such a star fighter with both strength and idol was tragically cut by the US military’s arms reduction and became the first unlucky one to be fully retired among the same generation of fighters.

You know, it is generally believed that the performance and combat effectiveness of the F-14 'Panda' fighter are superior to the F/A-18 fighter currently in service in the United States.

As a result, the F/A-18 fighter has become the only carrier-based fighter currently in service in the United States, while the F-14 'Panda' fighter with more advanced performance and stronger combat effectiveness has been eliminated.

The reason given by the US Department of Defense is that the changes in the international situation and combat needs have made the F-14 'Panda' fighter unable to meet the needs. The original intention of the development of the F-14 'Panda' fighter was to intercept Soviet supersonic bombers and supersonic anti-ship missiles at a long distance, so that they could not enter an effective position to attack their own aircraft carrier battle group. Therefore, the F-14 'Panda' fighter was equipped with the AN/AWG9 pulse Doppler radar and AIM54 'Phoenix' long-range air-to-air missile, which were considered artifacts at the time.

The AN/AWG9 pulse Doppler radar has a detection range of more than 300 kilometers for large and medium-sized air targets, can track 24 targets at the same time, and can simultaneously attack the most threatening 54 "Phoenix" long-range air-to-air missiles with a maximum range of more than 200 kilometers. It uses active radar terminal guidance and has the ability to fire and forget, which poses a great threat to Soviet high-speed penetration bombers.

However, since the Soviet Union no longer exists, the strength of the bomber force has been severely weakened, and the threat to the US aircraft carrier battle group has been greatly reduced. The F-14 "Panda" fighter, which has a highly targeted design and relatively single purpose, has also lost its value of continued existence.

Secondly, the F-14 "Panda" fighter was developed too early. Under the technical conditions at the time, in order to improve flight performance, it adopted a complex variable sweep wing layout, which not only greatly increased the cost and difficulty of production and maintenance, but also had unsatisfactory reliability. In addition, the US Navy has begun to purchase new F-18E/F Super Hornets in large quantities, which not only have obvious production and maintenance cost advantages, but also maintain strong parts commonality with the original F-18C/D, greatly simplifying logistics support and more conducive to the efficient operation of aircraft carrier-based aircraft units.

Of course, what the US Department of Defense did not say is that the production line of the F-14 "Panda" fighter has long been dismantled, and the United States can only do basic maintenance. Even if it wants to purchase the F-14 "Panda" fighter, it will not be possible to produce the F-14 "Panda" fighter without five or six years of effort.

As for the game behind the military-industrial complex, it will not be made public.

The F-14 "Panda" fighter was developed by Grumman. In 1994, Northrop acquired Grumman and formed Northrop Grumman.

The F/A-18 series fighters were jointly developed by McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and Northrop, and McDonnell Douglas has been acquired by Boeing.

The game of interests here began as early as the 1990s, and it was destined that the F-14 'Panda' fighter would inevitably retire.

Liu Tao looked at the news and sighed softly.

As the world's first third-generation fighter, although it is used as a carrier-based fighter in the United States, it actually has very excellent performance, which is vividly reflected in the Persian Air Force.

Other third-generation fighters are still playing their own light, and will not be closed for at least the next 20 years, but the F-14 'Panda' fighter has closed early and can no longer compete with fighters of the same generation on the same stage.

If the Americans attach importance to the F-14 'Panda' fighter and continuously improve and upgrade it in terms of radar, avionics equipment and missile mounting capabilities, then the improved F-14 'Panda' fighter will inevitably be a strong competitor to the carrier-based model of the J-11 fighter.

As for now, even the F/A-18E/F carrier-based aircraft currently in service in the United States is no longer a rival to the carrier-based model of the J-11 fighter.

Unless the United States develops a fourth-generation carrier-based aircraft, in an air combat, the F/A-18E/F will inevitably be defeated by the J-11 fighter in a one-on-one situation.

Whether it is the avionics system, radar system, or weapon system, the two are not at the same level.

Driving a helicopter, heading to the East China Sea.

Above the East China Sea, the 002B aircraft carrier "Min Ship" is undergoing training.

On July 1 this year, the day of the founding of the Party, as a birthday gift to the Party, the 002B aircraft carrier "Min Ship" was officially delivered to the Navy.

The Type 002B aircraft carrier belongs to the East China Sea Fleet, and the Type 002B aircraft carrier is used to form the third Chinese aircraft carrier fleet.

The Type 002B aircraft carrier is said to be the sister ship of the Type 002 aircraft carrier, but the two are actually completely different, except that the size looks somewhat similar.

The Type 002 aircraft carrier is a conventionally powered aircraft carrier, while the Type 002B aircraft carrier is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Originally, the Type 002B aircraft carrier was going to continue to use the same steam catapult as the Type 002 aircraft carrier. Later, as the electromagnetic catapult technology matured, it was directly installed on the Type 002B aircraft carrier.

There are even strange-shaped guns on the Type 002B aircraft carrier, which are laser guns used for air defense and destroying incoming missiles and aircraft.

This also gives the Type 002B aircraft carrier extremely strong air defense capabilities.

Liu Tao's helicopter landed on the helicopter pad of the aircraft carrier.

Liu Tao had just gotten off the helicopter when Zhang Zhaozhong and others came to greet him.

At present, Zhang Zhaozhong has been transferred to the East China Sea Fleet as the commander. It can be said that he has a bright future in this position at the age of 54.

Liu Tao returned a military salute and then inspected the Type 002B aircraft carrier.

"How is it? Have there been any problems during this period?" Liu Tao asked.

Since the delivery of the Type 002B aircraft carrier, several trainings have been carried out. Liu Tao is very concerned about the use of the Type 002B aircraft carrier.

After all, if there are any problems, they can be solved as soon as possible.

"Leader, there is no problem. It is very useful, much better than the Type 002 aircraft carrier!" Zhang Zhaozhong praised with a smile: "The officers and soldiers on the ship have given very high evaluations, and everyone does not have to always think about saving fuel and worry about oil tigers!"

The advantage of nuclear power is almost unlimited endurance. It takes 500,000 nautical miles to replace and overhaul the core of the nuclear reactor.

By that time, the aircraft carrier is estimated to be almost ready for retirement.

Zhang Zhaozhong is very satisfied with the Type 002B aircraft carrier.

It is so advanced and powerful, he loves this aircraft carrier. (End of this chapter)