Ahh...where do I start young grasshopper....
Lots of goods, lots of others.
Goods: Strong radar, lots of gas, good speed, lots of ordnance, 2 man crew, in it's heyday very manueverable compared to other jets...
Others: originally very stall prone motors (PW TF30-P414A), lots of moving parts, not fly by wire, 6.5 G limited when at low fuel state, originally had a 64K computer with a tape (yes tape like a cassette) read in for the tactical OFP.....
But it got better with the F-14D: GE motors, digital flight control system, new HUD, APG-71 radar, Digital TARPS, GPS, LANTIRN, JDAM capable, JTIDS, and more...
But alas it's the same old 6.5 G airframe with a huge RCS.
So now going on 33 years old...it's time has come...and it will be put out to pasture...just like me.
The F/A-18F is a good replacement.
r/
G
currently in Qatar: "My what a lovely sand lot you have here..."