[pfflier]

The YF-17 was never designed for the same role as an F-14

Never said it was. It was designed, by Northrop as direct competition for the F-16 under Air Force flyoff directives...and came in second best.

[midwestmidnight]

The YF-17 was never designed for the same role as an F-14

Never said it was. It was designed, by Northrop as direct competition for the F-16 under Air Force flyoff directives...and came in second best.

The Navy has always preferred twin-engined jets. It was hoped that when the Navy chose a scaled up version of the YF-17, $millions would be saved in development costs (Yea, right. That always works!).

In hind sight, maybe the solution to the F-14 replacement issue would probably have been best served by combining the fuselage/engine nacelles of the F-18 Super Hornet with the wings and vertical stabilizer of the F-16E. This would probably allow for greater range, payload and speed while allowing the reliability of two engines.