Hornet or Tomcat ?

[Shack]

Would you rather be in Tomcat or Hornet in a close-in BFM fight ?

Edited March 9, 2019 by Shack

[Eldur]

Tomcat... when the Hornet driver looses sight on me, I can feel the need and just get away with him running out of fuel and falling behind, just in case. Getting back home in one piece is more important than shooting things down.

[KittyVCAW-1]

you mean if....:smilewink:

[Cake]

Depends mostly on who is/are flying them.

[pete_auau]

Depends mostly on who is/are flying them.

 

 

yep all depends on how good the pilot is on that particular aircraft

[hughlb]

The Hornet is seriously intimidating in a knife fight.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

when the Hornet driver looses sight on me...

 

You do realise how big the F14 is right? :D

[Maulkin]

From the book "Hornets over Kuwait":

 

"Today, with the benefit of hindsight, and the clear knowledge that the F/A-18 is far superior to the F-14 in almost every respect,"

 

And:

 

"Here you go: an honest comparison of how the aircraft performs relative to some of the other stuff that’s out there. The F-15 carries the same air-to-air weapons as the F/A-18, but has a better radar and associated systems that allow it to be more discriminatory about who and how it’s targeting at long range. Within visual range, similarly configured, the Hornet is more maneuverable and a better dogfighter. From a visual neutral start, similarly configured, I have never lost a “knife” fight with an Eagle. Also, the F-15 is not configured for air-to-ground operations. I can shoot down MIGs before and after I support my marine brethren on the ground. The F-15E is designed for the air-to-ground strike role, and it does outperform the Hornet in this role. However, the F-15E is very expensive and there are relatively few of them. At beyond visual range the F/A-18 is comparably equipped to the F-16, which is now (post Gulf War) capable of launching a radar missile. Within visual range I consider a well-flown Falcon (or Viper, as it is also called) to be a more formidable foe than the F-15. The Hornet’s slow-speed capabilities are still superior. Again, from a visual neutral start, similarly configured, I have never lost a knife fight with an F-16. Like the F-15, and just about everything else, the F-16 is faster than the F/A-18 and can run it down in a pinch. I’ve gotten engaged visually with a Mirage 2000 just once. I was carrying two external tanks, he was carrying none, and I beat him. The AV-8B Harrier doesn’t stand a chance against the F/A-18, or any of the other fourth generation fighters. The Air Defense Variant (ADV) of the Tornado is no match for the Hornet. The F-14 and F-4, likewise, are older and much less capable than the F/A-18. It is my opinion also that the Hornet can handle any Russian fighter currently fielded in any arena. I don’t mean to imply that Hornets don’t get beaten in dogfights by other aircraft. They do. The performance figures of most fourth generation fighters are very close. My personal contention is than an F/A-18, with an experienced pilot, in the visual arena against any similarly configured aircraft, is very difficult if not impossible to beat, depending on the other aircraft type and pilot. If you break out performance charts and start crunching numbers, you’ll find that several fourth-generation fighters have a certain envelope or regime within which they are superior to another given fighter. But, in a slow-speed fight (where most fights end up), the Hornet is tops."

[Airhunter]

JHMCS + AIM-9X = nuf said.

[Snappy]

JHMCS + AIM-9X = nuf said.

Grow up

[Tholozor]

One thing to consider is that the Legacy Hornet and the Tomcat aren't exactly comparable based on their intended functionality. The Hornet was meant to replace the Intruder as a better-armed, self-protect, multi-role attacker, the Super Hornet was meant to replace the Tomcat as a fleet-defense, multi-role, air superiority fighter. Most Tomcat VFs either transitioned directly to the Rhino, or were disestablished.

[Eldur]

You do realise how big the F14 is right? :D

 

Well, if I'm the Hornet driver, the Tomcat couldn't be big enough and I'd still loose sight

 

I've literally been flying in formation with a bunch of Su-24s that I simply couldn't find visually...

 

I guess we'll be able to judge once we have both

 

I just prefer to sit in the faster one and let others clear my six while I'm running home from an explosive parcel delivery mission

 

BTW, with the AIM-54s I'd have something with an effective range exceeding five miles

 

OTOH those 120s and 9X would be pretty deadly as well.

[MrNewLife]

I would mostly pick a hornet if counter against tomcat...

[ebabil]

i got both. But if i hadn't bought hornet now, i would wait for f-16 and get f-14 also.

most likely my hornet will be retired when f-16 is released

[A2597]

It's strange, I have a non-sensacle dislike of the Hornet from childhood because it replaced the F-14. I knew it didn't make sense, but it was formed early and has stuck with me for years.

 

I got the F-18 in DCS because it was the most modern jet I could do everything I wanted to do with.

 

And now I love it, and would pick it over the F-14 anyday.

(Still may buy the F-14, but new HOTAS comes first)

[Baco]

Any time baby....

 

I also have the irrational hate for the "bug" how did it dare replace the Cat!

 

Ugly, and the looser of the YF -16 vs YF 17 competittion.. I believe the Navy took it on because it was the only other twin engine figther being developed (Navy requirement) and to keep "the insdustry" (mainly Boeing) alive...

 

Yes the Super Hornet is a different Beast , buts just imagen what could have happens if all that money and energy had been directed to an F 14 E o F....

 

Besides if it ain´t Grumman, it don´t belong on a boat...

Edited March 9, 2019 by Baco

[draconus]

If talking about DCS AI I fought against both in the Eagle and the Bug is certainly better than Cat but inferior to 29 and F-5.

[OnlyforDCS]

 

Yes the Super Hornet is a different Beast , buts just imagen what could have happens if all that money and energy had been directed to an F 14 E o F....

 

 

Yeah, the airframe is clearly superior to anything else on the boat to ever enter service since. Including the SuperBug. Some like to bring up the operating costs and downtime, the truth is that by the time the F14D was being retired these were about the same as for the Superbug.

 

An F14E, using the same airframe, modified to reduce operating and maintaincane costs even further, with modern avionics, new engines and AESA radar, AIM9X, AMRAAM capabilites would make both the Bug and Superbug look pretty second rate.

[Schlapperklange]

Yeah, the airframe is clearly superior to anything else on the boat to ever enter service since.

 

 

What is superior on that airframe?

[thrustvector]

tom-cat without a doubt, best looking plane too

[Flamin_Squirrel]

What is superior on that airframe?

 

Payload carrying capability, speed, range, radome size, as a guess to start off.

[OnlyforDCS]

What is superior on that airframe?

 

Better fuel efficiency, better range, much faster top speed, longer loiter time, better turn rate at all flight regimes except at extremely slow speed, most importantly more weapons ordnance can be carried into battle compared to the Hornet, though it is comparable to the super hornet.

 

/sniped.

[MegOhm_SD]

“I’ll hit the brake and he will fly right by”

[Raisuli]

One frame from a 16mm gun camera says it all.

 

 

[Buzzles]

Too simplistic of a question to answer really as there's normally so many variables, but it'll be down to whichever is the better pilot and can fly their aircraft to its best.

If both pilots are equally good, it'll be down to who makes the first mistake.

 

 

Personally, I'd rather be in a Tomcat, but I'm under no illusions that I'd be winning :D

Edited March 13, 2019 by Buzzles