Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: dave@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Dave Goldblatt) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: New version F14 Message-ID: <6963@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 30 May 89 02:23:29 GMT References: <6867@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Clarkson University, Postdam NY Lines: 34 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Dave Goldblatt In article <6867@cbnews.ATT.COM> nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby) writes: [Regarding Tomcat 21] > The navy claims that the plane is needed to fill the gap > between now and the time the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter is > deployed, particularly if NATF is delayed. Actually, that's Grumman's claim. They are trying (very hard!) to sell the Navy on it. As usual, you can find very vocal responses on both sides from the Navy. :-) There are a number of varieties of Tomcat 21, including versions with ATF avionics and other ATF features. Tomcat 21's main advantage would be its low cost on a proven airframe -- it would be approximately 76,000 lbs vs. the 72,000 lbs. of the F-14D, so there isn't much weight penalty either (this includes the extra fuel tanks Tomcat 21 would have). If there's suffiecient interest, I suppose I can post the Grumman press release on Tomcat 21. Oh, one other item of note: If the F-14D is not reinstated into the budget, you can forget about Tomcat 21 -- it would take at least * five * years to restart the F-14 production line. -dg- -- Internet: dave@sun.soe.clarkson.edu or: dave@clutx.clarkson.edu BITNET: dave@CLUTX.Bitnet uucp: {rpics, gould}!clutx!dave Matrix: Dave Goldblatt @ 1:260/360 ICBM: 75 02 00W 44 38 12N