You're actually asking fairly complex questions since fuel flow changes significantly with altitude. For instance, an F-14 could burn all of it's fuel (Internal plus two external tanks = 20k lbs) in 7 minutes in full afterburner at SL while it lasted considerably longer at altitude. F-4 would have been similar.
To answer some of the other sundry questions that came up in this thread:
By the way, is that carrier... (I hope I spell this right...) the Oriskany?
The CV in the picture with the RF-8 is Forrestal class not the Oriskany which was a 27C (modified Essex class). Judging from the not to clear hull number it's probably the Saratoga. It could also be the Forrestal (CV-59), Ranger (CV-61), or Indy (CV-62). BTW, the Oriskany was just sunk off the coast near Pensacola to become a dive site and reef. Another note, the fighter in the picture is the photo-recon version, the straight F-8 was a bit better looking since it didn't have the funky lower fuselage bulge where the cameras are located on the RF-8.
The small radome of B's and N's was "called" the IR radome, but when I was in we never used it for IR. I think we once had a hop scheduled were the Com/NAV guys installed some ECM there. The rest of the time it was empty. That was from '76-'81.
The chin-pod was originally designed for an IR Search and Track system but it didn't work well and didn't last. The F-14 had a similar one for the same reasons but then they used it to house the Television Camera Set and later a dual pod was designed for the F-14D to house both the TCS and a new IRSTS. Also, most chin pods like this also incorporated a couple of antennas for the ECM system.
I'm curious about the usefulness of Mach 2+ sprints for interceptors...the AN/APQ-120 I worked on would break lock with a 2700 mph closure rate. Of course only a lunatic would try to toss a missile at those speeds anyway. The AIM-7 had to be blown off the bird and the AIM-9 was very close to both the wing and any ordnance on the rack.
The only real use of Mach 2 speed is for a straight line intercept of a large bomber formation where you dash out, launch your missiles in their face and then immediately go home because you're out of gas. Typically you only got as high as about 1.2M. 1.6M will start to burn the paint.
As far as launching missiles above Mach 2, that's perfectly OK. We had some G-limits for certain types of launches but the top speed was LBA, which is the Limits of the Basic Airframe. Also, the faster you are at launch the better the missile range since you're giving it a "boost".
The MiG-25(R) is a mach 3.2 capable (clean) plane while the 31 is mach 2.8 capable (clean).
Yes and no. The 31 is reengined but the MiG-25 was never a Mach 3.2 airplane. There was a single MiG 25 that overflew Israel at over Mach 3 and then landed in Egypt but the engines were toast and had to be replaced before the plane could return to the USSR. Realistically, it's max is probably about 2.8M
Yeah, when I said fighter, I meant as opposed to a bomber. Its a fleet interceptor, and the dogfighter was the Corsair II.
Ahhhh...no. The Corsair II is the A-7 and, while it was a dog, it was no dogfighter. It was just a light attack derivative of the F-8 without an afterburner that was shortened and simplified to create a cheap visual bomber....not to mention the fact it was flown by attack pukes, not fighter gods.
