At the end of the cold war, the tasks of air units began to become complex and diverse. Before the Gulf War, the U.S. Navy would retire and refit the costly F-14 in large quantities. In the same period, as a medium-sized fighter, f/a-18 is facing the increase of the main weight of maritime aviation, exposing the problems of low survival rate and poor battlefield response ability. After the outbreak of the Gulf War, this problem has been multiplied. After the improvement, the F-14D in service has limited ground capability, and the MIG aircraft in Iraq also shows a serious mobility weakness. In response to the war, the Navy developed a derivative of f/a-18, f/a-18e/f. Its overall performance has been on a par with the f-16c+ being developed. It can be said that the f/a-18e/f has broken away from the original general design route, developed a new high-performance aircraft, completely replaced the F-14 series, effectively saved costs and improved operational efficiency

AG-1 to deploy arresting hook
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