Teen Series Fighters

[Slartibartfast]

With the release of TMF´s F-14 Tomcat I thought I would pose this question. Okay I dont mean technical ability and I have not included the Super Bug as to my mind it is not a Teen Series fighter... What I mean is your favourite out of the ones listed as to be honest there are only 4 anyway.

 

For me it has to be and always has been Tom´s Cat... Simply because it looks so damn good even in Turkey mode i.e. Landing on a carrier and it was so technically advanced over anything else just let down by its engines...

[macelena]

Hornet to me. when it came out it was impressive, a mix of phantom, crusader and F-5. I have some data on the test performed by the Spanish Air Force when we where to choose a new fighter in the early 1981, and it was better than any other aircraft of its generation. Better in strike and survivability than any other fighter in the western 4th generation, being considered for the program all the Teen Series, plus the Tornado, Mirage 2000 and Tigershark. It was estimated that a Hornet batch of 72 aircraft was worth a force of 96 Falcons (back then, 10 years before the AMRAAM) and could beat a Tornado IDS in strike.

 

Maybe it has not the best speed, nor the best range, maybe not the best in anything, but simply a combat aircraft wich can accomplish anything. It served well my country, and maybe i´m biased, but in proved well in anything, as CAP, SEAD, strike, air defence in the Balkans War and the crisis with Morocco, so F-18 for me

Edited July 11, 2010 by macelena

[Viggen]

The Eagle has my vote. If the incredible kill ratio isn't enough of a reason, then looks and performance are. Sure, maybe the build quality of some airframes isn't up to par and the Pratt and Whitney F100 engine has been troublesome at times, but this doesn't prevent it from being as hard as nails. When it comes to actual combat records and not just egos, training, and talk, the F-15 comes out on top in the air to air role for the Teen Series. The Strike Eagle is no slouch in air to ground either.

 

Edit: I also have a slight bias, as the F-15 is the poster child of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, which was also the first Guard to receive F-15s.

Edited July 11, 2010 by Viggen

[+hgbn]

Esthetically the F-14 is the most beautiful of the Teen series.

[Icarus999]

F-14B/D is my top choice due to its amazing capabilities but it was honestly very difficult not to vote for the the F-15C .

[Spinners]

Tomcat... and I would have voted that way before 'Top Gun' came out

[+Gepard]

My vote is for the Viper. It is exactly that kind of plane i love. Small, agile, high capable.

But i would also like to see a Northrop F-17 Cobra, the forerunner of the F-18.

[+Fubar512]

My vote is for the Viper. It is exactly that kind of plane i love. Small, agile, high capable.

But i would also like to see a Northrop F-17 Cobra, the forerunner of the F-18.

 

The YF-17 was a beautiful concept. Re-engineering it into the carrier-capable F/A-18A added so much weight and complexity onto what was originally such a light airframe (for a twin-engined fighter).

 

"The first prototype (tail number 72-1569) was rolled out at Hawthorne on 4 April 1974, and made its first flight at Edwards AFB on 9 June. The second YF-17 (72-1570) first flew on 21 August. Through 1974, the YF-17 competed against the General Dynamics YF-16. The two YF-17 prototypes flew 288 test flights, totaling 345.5 hours. The YF-17 attained a top speed of Mach 1.95, a peak load factor of 9.4 g, and a maximum altitude of over 50,000 ft (15,000 m). It could attain a sustained 34° angle of attack in level flight, and 63° in a climb at 50 kn (58 mi, 93 km/h)."

 

Let's compare the specs of both variants:

 

 

YF-17

 

Crew: 1

Length: 56 ft 0 in (17.0 m)

Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.5 m)

Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m)

Wing area: 350 ft² (32 m²)

Empty weight: 17,180 lb (7,800 kg)

Loaded weight: 23,000 lb (10,430 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 34,280 lb (15,580 kg)

Powerplant: 2× General Electric YJ101-100 afterburning turbofans, 14,400 lbf (67 kN) each

Performance

 

Maximum speed: Mach 1.95

Range: 2,990 mi (4,810 km)

Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)

Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (250 m/s)

Wing loading: 66 lb/ft² (320 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 1.25

 

 

 

F/A-18A

 

Crew: F/A-18C: 1, F/A-18D: 2 (pilot and weapons system officer)

Length: 56 ft (17.1 m)

Wingspan: 40 ft (12.3 m)

Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)

Wing area: 400 ft² (38 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 65A005 mod root, 65A003.5 mod tip

Empty weight: 24,700 lb (11,200 kg)

Loaded weight: 37,150 lb (16,850 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 51,550 lb (23,400 kg)

Powerplant: 2× General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofans

Dry thrust: 11,000 lbf (48.9 kN) each

Thrust with afterburner: 17,750 lbf (79.2 kN) each

Performance

 

Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)

Combat radius: 330 mi (290 NM, 537 km) on hi-lo-lo-hi mission

Ferry range: 2,070 mi (1,800 NM, 3,330 km)

Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)

Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)

Wing loading: 93 lb/ft² (450 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: >0.95

[+MigBuster]

Its been said before:

 

Yeah, all you f***ers wish you flew the Viper

Probably since the time you wore a diaper

We got every mission that you do

And we fly 'em all better than you

Yeah, all you f***ers wish you flew the Viper

 

'Cause we're single seat, multi-role

We can fly right up our own asshole

Yeah, all you f***ers wish you flew the Viper

 

[xclusiv8]

I voted for the F16 and the F18. They are similar in design, light, agile and multirole. I fell in love with the Viper ever since i saw the first Iron Eagle movie (thats the only one thats good)

 

About the F18. I dont really know where my facination for the jet came from. Maybe from all the f18 games i played but somehow i learned to love it.

[Caesar]

To be honest, I like the teen-series in general; each one had its own unique advantages and each one was a hell of a fighter in its own right. Favorite? Tomcat. Any Time, Baby! (as if it weren't plainly obvious...)

[+FastCargo]

Slightly off topic, but I have an interesting book on the YF-17:

 

Northrop YF-17 A Pictoral History

 

It's got some really good information on the YF-17 and it's evolution from the F-5 design, to LWF competitor, to F-18 prototype.

 

Another aside, I actually have pics I took of the YF-17 sitting at the USS Alabama Battleship Museum back in 1999. Small aircraft museum, but having one of the two YF-17s was a bonus (total surprise to me) plus one of the A-12s. Not sure of the current status of the YF-17 post Katrina, but apparently the YF-17 didn't suffer too badly. The F4U they had was a loss though...

 

The point of the post is that the YF-17 looks small compared to a F-18...and even smaller if it was sitting next to a Super Hornet. I'd have been curious to see it's evolution had it proceeded into USAF service.

 

FC

[+Fubar512]

I've always thought that the USAF made a mistake in not ordering a few for further evaluation.

[Derk]

I've always thought that the USAF made a mistake in not ordering a few for further evaluation.

 

The F16 is very good value for money for smaller air forces, executing a lot of tasks very good, but a further developed F17, without all the heavy Navy stuff and with more up to date engines would have been a very interesting proposition....

 

Hou doe,

 

Derk

[Lt. James Cater]

Seeing as this poll is in the First Gen forum and so it's about the sim...

 

Give me an F-15 any day of the week. The last time i took an Eagle into the WOE skies i flew until the campaign errored, and scored like a WW2 Luftwaffe pilot. My wingman managed to get 30+ kills. Hell, even #4 in my flight was a double ace.

 

Too be honest, i've never flown the F-14 or F/A-18. The F-16 i had a neat experience with until nailed by a SAM. It was an incredible knife fighter, but lack of AIM-7 capability was a pain that led to a few casualties until the furball commenced.

[+Gepard]

If the USAF would have had selected the F-17, i think Germany would have bought this bird and we would have no need for the Eurofighter.

It would be nice if someone could create the Cobra for SFP1 or SF2.

[macelena]

If the USAF would have had selected the F-17, i think Germany would have bought this bird and we would have no need for the Eurofighter.

It would be nice if someone could create the Cobra for SFP1 or SF2.

 

Well, we got the F-18, you might think it is worse than the YF-17, but we still need the EF2000

[Derk]

Well, we got the F-18, you might think it is worse than the YF-17, but we still need the EF2000

 

How about airframe life ?

 

 

Hou doe,

 

Derk

Edited July 14, 2010 by Derk

[kct]

/Reappearance after his disappearance.

 

Will always be the F-14. That's what most of us born during the 1980s always thought of when we think about the Teen Series guys.

[+Brain32]

F-15.

[Vambrace]

F-15E here. One of the better if not The best examples of turning a good fighter into a great bomber.

 

Loved dropping bombs on target while still having missiles and performance to outfight the enemy, a true multi-role fighter if you ask me.

[Spinners]

F-15E here. One of the better if not The best examples of turning a good fighter into a great bomber.

 

 

I think it's more the case of turning a great fighter into a good bomber.

[kct]

Functionality-wise, the F-15 wins big time for me.

[jomni]

F-16...

I like them small.

[+JediMaster]

I doubt those numbers for the F-17's range. There's no way it would've been better than the F/A-18.

Actually, Northrop did offer the original F-17 as the F-18L (for land, since it wasn't carrier capable) in the late 70s, but I think everyone looking in that size class bought F-16s instead. Like the F-20, it wasn't good enough to match the reputation of the Electric Jet. Had Congress been more restrictive on who could get F-16s (like Taiwan almost didn't), then I think the F-20 and F-18L might've had a shot.