Sanchez makes naval history(F-14 Tomcats being phased out)

The Bee-Picayune ^ | July 2, 2004

[SwinneySwitch]

- Ens. Manuel Sanchez, VX-30 maintenance material control officer, recently made history by being the last Navy F-14 Tomcat test and evaluation maintenance material control officer. According to tradition, Sanchez took a supersonic ride in the back of the F-14 Tomcat which he said was the time of his life.

“If you haven’t heard, the world famous Tomcat that Tom Cruise put on the map with the movie Top Gun is currently disestablishing from the Navy,” Sanchez said. “We at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Three Zero (VX-30) ‘The Bloodhounds’ out of Point Mugu, Calif., are a Combat Support Unit. The Bloodhounds exist to carry out missions in support of our naval war fighters. These missions consist of providing our naval war fighters with system improvements that enhance their ability to ‘put missiles in enemy cockpits and strike weapons through their front doors.’

“We do this by conducting and supporting cutting edge research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) flight tests of naval combat systems,” Sanchez continued. “To accomplish these missions, we provide Naval Air Systems Command with people and aircraft that contribute both unique and complementary RDT&E capabilities to our winning team. However, since the Tomcat squadrons will be going away by midyear 2006, the requirements to continue research and tests of advanced weapons and systems for the F-14 Tomcat is no longer a demand.

“The Navy’s heart and soul for fighter aircraft is now the Strike Fighter F/A-18 Hornet which is currently used by the world famous Navy Blue Angels,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez joined the Navy out of Beeville in May 1990 as an enlisted sailor and was commissioned as an officer in December 2002. He is the son of Abel and Esther Rodriguez of Beeville. He will leave Point Mugu for VFA-27 Royal Maces (F/A-18E Super Hornet Squadron) out of Atsugi, Japan, in April 2005.

“I’ve had an awesome tour here at Point Mugu as you can tell by a couple of these photos,” Sanchez said. “I gave actor Jamie Foxx a tour of my squadron and had him sit in the Tomcat. He wanted to get the feel of sitting in a jet as he was filming for his upcoming movie ‘Stealth.’ Also, I participated in President Ronald Reagan’s funeral. Being away from home, I sincerely enjoy going online (to read the newspaper) and keeping up with Beeville every Wednesday and Saturday. You guys do a phenomenal job!”

[SwinneySwitch]

Sanchez is pictured upon his return from flight with his “Black Jet,” featuring the famous bunny on the tail which was the last F-14 Tomcat to ever be manufactured by Northrop Grumman. In the bottom photo Sanchez is pictured with actor Jamie Foxx. Sanchez helped Foxx prepare for his role in the upcoming move, “Stealth.”

[E Rocc]

Isn't the Hornet more of a tactical fighter (in addition to its attack role) with the F-14 being more of a theater air-superiority fighter? Especially when equipped with the ultra-long-range Phoenix missile?

-Eric

[SwinneySwitch]

Here's a thread comparing the two.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/890973/posts

[Jackknife]

Seems like the Hornets are slowly on their way out , too . I live within 5 mi. of NAS Atlanta , and they just decommissioned the 'Blue Dolphin' squadron last week . That consisted of about a dozen aircraft , which they said were going to museums and other display locations . Hope the Raptor(which is built next to the same airstrip by Lockeed) does what they say it can do .

[Pukin Dog]

You are correct about the Hornet, but the Super Hornet is taking over the Tomcat's mission as long range interception is no longer seen as a high-priority mission for the Navy.

[Pukin Dog]

Squadrons flying the oldest Hornet airframes are being merged into Super Hornet and more recent Hornet squadrons. There is less of a need for Hornet squadrons with the Super Hornet coming online.

[Mariner]

"Air superiority fighter?"

That is correct.

I suspect there's two things driving this: Aegis and cost (keeping F14's and Phoenix missle aloft is expensive).

While this will leave the Navy with the ability to protect the fleet (F-18's and Aegis), I'm wonderin' how they plan to PROJECT air superiority over a hostile land mass.

[JRios1968]

Different aircraft, different services. The Raptor is AF-only, whereas the Hornet is Navy-only.

[Pukin Dog]

I'm wonderin' how they plan to PROJECT air superiority over a hostile land mass.

That is no longer a Navy mission. The Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft do not have the range or munitions to carry out that mission. Air Superiority will be restricted to CAP over the battle group. When and if the Navy gets a navalized F-22 or F-23, they will re-assume that role.

[SuziQ]

“The Navy’s heart and soul for fighter aircraft is now the Strike Fighter F/A-18 Hornet which is currently used by the world famous Navy Blue Angels,” Sanchez said.

And they are awesome to see in action!

[Doohickey]

The consensus is that the F-14 is the best air-superiority fighter in the Navy's arsenal.

Alas, then-SecDef Dick Cheney ordered the tooling for the Tomcat destroyed so no more can be built.

[Jackknife]

**Squadrons flying the oldest Hornet airframes are being merged into Super Hornet and more recent Hornet squadrons. There is less of a need for Hornet squadrons with the Super Hornet coming online.**

Thanks for this info ..... I've lived here all my 40 years(near Dobbins/Lockeed Marietta), and I try to keep up with all of the currents .

[Long Cut]

I just read that other thread linked above. Is it true that the Super Hornet has a poorer thrust-to-weight ratio than both the Tom AND the Hornet-c?

Haven't they learned ANYTHING? Our birds were so good in large part because they could use all that excess power in close-fighting and in climbs, etc.

I thought they'd have at LEAST upped the horsepower for the SH.

[Pukin Dog]

Yes. The Super Hornet is a MAJOR disappointment. It does have new more powerful engines, but they don't make up for the extra weight and drag the new bird has. In the Gulf, the Super Hornet failed to live up to every expectation except as a tanker. The original Hornet eats it lunch dogfighting, but neither carries enough go-juice to reach out and touch anyone. So we lose that mission to the Air Force until we get our own super-fighter someday. It wont be the Super Hornet and it sure as hell wont be the JSF. We need the YF-23, but in a pinch, they need to rebuild those jigs and build some new Cats.

[Pukin Dog]

I just read that link myself. I had to laugh because both sides of the argument get a lot of things wrong. Especially the guy who says that the F-111 gave the Tomcat problems. I don't know what he was smoking.

[Long Cut]

I don't think that they'll ever build new Cats. Once the tooling is gone, it's just too damned expensive to rebuild it. Furthermore, by that time, someone asks "Why don't we just design something new?".

It sounds like the SH was a massive wild goose chase, or probably a panic descision when the Navy realized that it wouldn't get to play a role in the ATF development program. Do you know why the Navy wasn't given some say in the development of the F-22 from the get-go? Seems that it'd only have made sense.

[Pukin Dog]

Do you remember the A-12 fiasco?

Since then, nobody cares what the Navy thinks. They take what they are told to take. Nobody listened to the Navy regarding the F-111, and we only got the Tomcat because by the time the F-111 proved how much it sucked, the Tomcat need was pure desperation.

This is going to happen again, because the Super Hornet cant do the mission. We need a Navy Super Fighter, but the Pentagon wont admit it until a few fat, slow Super Hornets get their asses shot off.

[calcowgirl]

We need the YF-23, but in a pinch, they need to rebuild those jigs and build some new Cats.

I thought the YF-23 was dead-meat when they chose the F-22.
Is there a revival? That was an awesome plane!

[ASOC]

The F111 was a joint program till the Navy saw what a dog the F111 would turn out to be, and bailed out to buy the F14

FWIW, the F111 had more wrongful death lawsuits than any other plane in the history of the USAF. We used to watch them drop out of the sky all over the Nellis Range (and the at the base)

Having said that, the F111F was an entirely different bird, and quite a good one. Ask anyone on the ground who lived thru thier visit to Libya....

[hornetguy]

VFA-203 was a reserve squadron that had been in Jacksonville Fla before Cecil Field closed, they flew really old Hornets. Hornets are not going away any time soon, some squadrons are though.
Generally, the Super Hornet is relacing the F-14, though some F-18 A-D squadrons are upgrading to the E/F.