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In article , Pete Granzeau
wrote:

The F-111B, as I understand it, never weighed less than 78,000 lbs,
whereas the USN insisted that the ships couldn't handle anything
greater than 55,000 lbs. It's interesting to note that the F-14
weighs about 40,000 lbs empty, and the F-18A less. Considering that

Where can one find definitive weights for these aircraft? And also
definitive weights for the "do not exceed" limits when the 111B was being
killed and the F-14 was being developed?

I've got a pretty good reference library with a number of books on the F-14,
but I've never found good comparisons of the weights issue. I have heard
that ultimately the F-14 exceeded the weight that was originally established
for the 111B. And I don't know how much the 111B's weight was reduced to.

There is a story that the F-14 broke the weight that the 111B was supposed
to meet and that this was "allowed" because the Navy wanted the F-14 but did
not want the F-111B. But I don't know if that is true. And it is also the
case that if the F-111B was still too fat, it was going to be way too heavy
for carrier acceptability whereas the F-14 was acceptable. But I cannot
find the numbers.




D