...and instead received generational upgrades?  Pretty interesting YouTube video discussing Gruman's planed upgrades and a 5th Gen "What if?" mock up.  Do you all think the airframe could've been improved or ultimately did the US Navy make the right call with the F-18 series?  Additionally, do you think the 5th Gen "What if?" variant could match the stealth profile of the F-22/35 with it's swing-wing design, or is that a stealth deal-breaker?

*Cross-posted from GD for a more dedicated aviation response.

No expert, but I would think modern stealth would be very difficult to accomplish with anything like the original design.

It might have been interesting, but like most woulda, coulda, shoulda conversations, at this point it really doesn't matter much because the powers that be have already gone onto to new things.

I am hard pressed to decide which is most beautiful, the F-14, the F-15, or the Su-27.

I know that the Cessna A-37, if upgraded, would do everything a modern COIN platform needs to do.

Still be a maintenance nightmare!

1960’s tech.   There’s only so much you can do.  It’s original mission of long range interception of Soviet missile carriers was more theory than fact.

Sorta interesting about the USAF F-14. 2 engines/2 folks to fly/plot the intercept/long legs to fly over the Canadian wasteland/swing wings so it could operate out of any podunct municipal airport.

The bomber threat by that time was more than handled by F-106s/beater F-4s and the first F-15As.

F14 is nearly as big as s B17 and grosses 20k more.

Grumman’s plans on upgrading, improvements what ever you want to call them were really nothing more then dreams and a last ditch effort to secure some funding hoping to buy time for the next navy plans for a new jet. The F-18 was pretty entrenched by the time the F-14’s were being upgraded to the last version the D. The airframe was designed around the swing wing and to convert to anything else would have ultimately required a completely new design and the Navy had the F-18. Where Grumman screwed the pooch was trying to continue to validate the F-14 and been designing a all new fighter a long the lines of the F-18. The F-14 was ground breaking at the time it was designed and brought into service, but it would also would be Grummans downfall by trying to keep it relevant to newer designs.

FWIW, I visited with some of the Navy pilots during a fleet week tour on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during the Clinton years. My recollection is that they said it was from a different era, and that there were efforts underway to broaden the role to an attack aircraft. They also commented that they weren’t getting to fly enough.

Assume Iranian lurkers are chomping at the bit on this thread…..