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> One wonders if a computer system like what's in the F35 could have worked in the F14 to mitigate the problem with engine failure

It could be possible that with full-authority fly-by-wire flight controls, a flight computer could prevent departures in case of single engine failure. I doubt anyone with enough F-14 flight dynamics knowledge is going to be on HN (you never know though!) to say if there was enough authority in the controls in these parts of the envelope to recover from such scenarios.

While not the same failure mode, the SR-71 in the '80s acquired a system called "DAFICS": Digital Automatic Flight and Inlet Control System. During supersonic flight, you could get inlet unstart (ejection of the internal normal shock and a resultant sudden decrease in thrust due to poor inlet performance) - which typically occurred asymmetrically and was not uncommon. DAFICS sensed an impending unstart and actually forced both inlets to simultaneously unstart. A less expensive patch than redesigning a finicky inlet already 20+ years old.

https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/85...

That aside aside, the real fix the F-14 needed was the GE engines (A+/D model). So you likely ought to blame the losses of these airframes from engine-induced issues on acquisition system decisions, rather than the airframe design itself.

Here's a photo I took of an F-14 that had stopped over at Sheppard AFB in the early 80's.

https://imgur.com/Ji55Vgv

And another one next to an A-10. Notice how substantial the landing gear is on the F-14 compared to the A-10, and the A-10 was designed for landings on improvised runways...

https://imgur.com/GMupZaq

It’s due to carrier landing requirements. When landing on carrier, you don’t flare the aircraft, you just dump it on deck with significant vertical speed. At least that is what you do with F-18 (with 200-400feet per minute descend rate), I would assume F-14 is the same for all the same reasons.

In short, carrier landings are closer to controlled crashes over the thing that everyone is calling landings.

> Perhaps the greatest achievement for the F14 was selling it to Iran, which had a real hard time keeping them in the air due to flight costs. Kinda sold them a lemon then cut off diplomatic ties. No one else wanted the plane!

They did a number on the Iraqi air force, you could argue that they got their money’s worth. They got more actual combat use out of them than the US ever did.