Please, difference between AF missions and Navy.
Correct Xone.
She was heavier because of her carrier requirements which puts a lot more stress on airframes.
What really made the Tomcat was the AWG-9 multi-missile guidance radar (up to 24 target tracks and 6 simultaneous missiles) and Phoenix missles which could reach out and give a kiss at up to 100 nautical miles. The ONLY long range US air-air missile.
Many pilots didn’t like the wider turn radius compared to the F-4/A-4 but the weapons systems and shear power - especially as they continued to improve the engines were massive advancements at the time.
The 18 which eventually replaced a number of aircraft was a poor combined substitute for the A-6/A-7 and F-14 which were pure plays, with heavier payloads, and more focused missions.
Of course a lot of the attack missions can be accomplished by drones now so it’s not as much of an issue.
Air Force and Navy have never agreed on a number of parameters for aircraft specifically because of the Navy carrier requirements. The AF wants to gain speed and radius by dropping air frame weight which the Navy can’t do and still operate effectively because of the additional catapult and landing requirements.
Course the AF gets one thing right - they build their mess halls and Baracks for their bases first - that way they can petition for more money to finish the air strip later ;-p