Tomcats and Flankers

[Bryan H.]

For most of the Tomcat whifs, I think the most important factor is...  is USN still a customer?  If the USN was still ordering updated F-14's (Tomcat 21, Super Tomcat 21, etc...) the foreign orders should happen.  I think the most interesting thing would be how the various customers might equip their Tomcats.  

Israel might opt for a ground-attack/long range interdiction F-14; instead of the F-15I.  If the engineering works, they might even persuade Grumman to install P&W F100 engines for commonality with the F-16's & F-15's.

Canada & Australia might want a "high-end" jack of all trades fighter-bomber to complement their F/A-18's.  The F-14 would be useful for long range patrols over "the Outback", the Indian Ocean, the Coral Sea or the Canadian Arctic.  It'd also be quite capable in the strike or fighter interceptor roles.  Similarly, as an F/A-18 operator Spain might also go for the F-14.

Japan would be most interested in the fighter interceptor capabilities of the Tomcat.  It would be well suited to long range fighter patrols needed to defend against Chinese, North Korean & Soviet/Russian threats.  In the interceptor role, the Tomcat would fit into the Japanese "defensive" military only mindset.

Of course there's the USMC, they nearly had Tomcats...  They'd emphasize the ground-attack & fighter-bomber aspects of the F-14 early on.  Perhaps, that might have saved the Tomcat.  If the USMC had the chance to develop weapons & tactics for a multi-role F-14 (starting in the 70's) the competency of the Tomcat might have made up for the expense in the 80's & 90's, even to present day.

earlier Crusaders & Tomcats thread
This previous thread has some good whif Tomcat stuff...

Bryan

[B777LR]

My ideas (ive also added teh F-15 and F/A-18E coz its sortta sme size, though F-15 is hardly a match for a Su-30):

F-14:

Australia
Chile
Royal Navy

Su-27/30:

Venezuela (hardly what-if anymore)
Iran
North Korea
Thailand
Iraq (if the gulf war 2003 had been moved ten years forward)
Indonesia
New Zealand      
Argentina

F-15:
Brazil
Greece
Germany
Canada
Spain
Venezuela (before chavez)
Iran (instead of F-14)
India

F/A-18E:
Argentina
India
Israel
Canada
Australia