Short version was the engines were terrible. They were prone to compressor stalls and blades started failing ahead of specification. The Phoenix missile and ass

Short version was the engines were terrible. They were prone to compressor stalls and blades started failing ahead of specification. The Phoenix missile and associated AWG-9 radar were top of the line in 1972, but were simply obsolete by mid 90s. If you look at the lifespan of the F-14 it was pretty remarkable, and the irony is that the F/A-18 was another design from the same era - it was a beefed up, navalized version of the YF-17 Cobra which lost out the the F-16.