Did the U.S. Navy make a mistake by choosing the Super Hornet rather than an updated Tomcat?
Short answerThe F-14 had great potential, but the Super Hornet was substantially cheaper and simpler to maintain within a constrained air group.
NotesThe F-14 still had considerable appeal and development potential when the Navy chose the Super Hornet. Standardization and maintenance costs weighed in favour of the F/A-18. Keeping the cheaper aircraft was a defensible response to pressure on carrier-air-group budgets. A force based on the more expensive Tomcat is judged likely to have faced even deeper numerical cuts.