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Grumman F-14 Tomcat

October 13, 2023

"F14" redirects here. For other uses, see F14 (disambiguation).

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B project. A large and well-equipped fighter, the F-14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.

F-14 Tomcat
A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf region in 2005.
Role Interceptor, air superiority, and multirole fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Grumman
First flight 21 December 1970
Introduction 22 September 1974
Retired 22 September 2006 (United States Navy)
Status In service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Primary users United States Navy (historical)
Produced 1969–1991
Number built 712

The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 2000s. The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began performing precision ground-attack missions.[1]

The Tomcat was retired by U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006, supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Several retired F-14s have been put on display across the US.

Having been exported to Pahlavi Iran under the pro-American Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1976, F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Imperial Iranian Air Force. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force used them during the Iran–Iraq War. Iran claimed their F-14s shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war (only 55 of these confirmed, according to historian Tom Cooper),[2] while 16 Tomcats were lost, including seven losses to accidents.[2][3] As of 2022, the F-14 remains in service with Iran's air force, though in low numbers of combat-ready aircraft due to a lack of spare parts.

Development Edit

Background Edit

 
The F-111B was designed to fulfill the carrier-based interceptor role, but had weight and performance problems, and was not suited to the types of aerial combat that were predominant over Vietnam.

Beginning in the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy sought a long-range, high-endurance interceptor to defend its carrier battle groups against long-range anti-ship missiles launched from the jet bombers and submarines of the Soviet Union. They outlined the idea of a Fleet Air Defense (FAD) aircraft with a more powerful radar and longer range missiles than the F-4 Phantom II to intercept both enemy bombers and missiles at very long range.[4] Studies into this concept led to the Douglas F6D Missileer project of 1959, but this large subsonic aircraft appeared to have little ability to defend itself once it fired its missiles, and the project was cancelled in December 1961.[5]

The Navy still sought long-range defensive aircraft, but with higher performance than the Missileer. The Navy was directed to participate in the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who favored versatile aircraft that could be shared by both services, reducing procurement and development costs. To this end, he had already directed the USAF to buy the F-4 Phantom II—which was developed for the Navy and could serve both as a fighter-bomber and an interceptor aircraft—instead of buying more F-105 Thunderchief and F-106 Delta Dart aircraft to fill each respective role.[6]

The TFX had adequate speed, range and payload for the FAD role, but was designed primarily as a fighter-bomber and interdictor that lacked the maneuverability and overall performance that the Navy expected. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX as it feared compromises necessary for the Air Force's need for a low-level attack aircraft would adversely impact the aircraft's performance as a fighter. Their concerns were overridden, and the project went ahead as the F-111B. Lacking recent experience in naval fighters, the F-111's main contractor, General Dynamics, partnered with Grumman to provide the experience needed to develop a naval version. Weight and performance issues plagued the program, and with the F-111B in distress, Grumman began studying improvements and alternatives. In 1966, the Navy awarded Grumman a contract to begin studying advanced fighter designs. Grumman narrowed down these designs to its 303 design.[7]

The name "Tomcat" was partially chosen to pay tribute to Admiral Thomas F. Connolly, as the nickname "Tom's Cat" had already been widely used within the program during development to reflect Connolly's involvement, and now the moniker was adapted into an official name in line with the Grumman tradition of giving its fighter aircraft feline names. Changing it to Tomcat associated the aircraft with the previous Grumman aircraft Wildcat, Hellcat, Tigercat, and Bearcat propeller fighters along with the Panther, Cougar, and Tiger jet fighters. Other names considered were Alley Cat (considered inappropriate due to sexual connotations) and Seacat.[8][9]

VFX Edit

Through this same period, experience in Vietnam against the more agile MiG fighters demonstrated that the Phantom lacked the maneuverability needed to win in any engagement. This led to the VFAX program to study new fighter aircraft that would either replace or supplant the Phantom in the fighter and ground-attack roles while the TFX worked the long-range interception role.[10] Grumman continued work on its 303 design and offered it to the Navy in 1967, which led to fighter studies by the Navy. The company continued to refine the design into 1968.[7]

Around this time, Vice Admiral Thomas F. Connolly, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare, flew the developmental F-111A variant on a flight and discovered that it had difficulty going supersonic and had poor carrier landing characteristics. He later testified before Congress about his concerns against the official Navy position and, in May 1968, Congress stopped funding for the F-111B, allowing the Navy to pursue an answer tailored to its requirements.[11]

Free to choose their solution to the FAD requirement, VFAX ended in favor of a new design that would combine the two roles. In July 1968, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program. VFX called for a tandem two-seat, twin-engined air-to-air fighter with a maximum speed of Mach 2.2.[12] It would also have a built-in 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon and a secondary close air support role.[13] The VFX's air-to-air missiles would be either six AIM-54 Phoenix or a combination of six AIM-7 Sparrow and four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Bids were received from General Dynamics, Grumman, Ling-Temco-Vought, McDonnell Douglas, and North American Rockwell;[14] four bids incorporated variable-geometry wings.[13][N 1]

F-14 Edit

 
Grumman's VFX entry was designed around the TF30 engine, AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 missile intended for the F-111B; this eventually became the F-14A.

McDonnell Douglas and Grumman were selected as finalists in December 1968. Grumman was selected for the contract award in January 1969.[15] Grumman's design reused the TF30 engines from the F-111B, though the Navy planned on replacing them with the Pratt & Whitney F401-400 engines under development for the Navy, along with the related Pratt & Whitney F100 for the USAF.[16] Though lighter than the F-111B, it was still the largest and heaviest U.S. fighter to fly from an aircraft carrier, a consequence of the requirement to carry the large AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles (from the F-111B) and an internal fuel load of 16,000 lb (7,300 kg).[17]

Upon winning the contract for the F-14, Grumman greatly expanded its Calverton, Long Island, New York facility for evaluating the aircraft. Much of the testing, including the first of many compressor stalls and multiple ejections, took place over Long Island Sound. To save time and avoid cancellation by the new presidential administration, the Navy skipped the prototype phase and jumped directly to full-scale development; the Air Force took a similar approach with its McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.[18] The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970, just 22 months after Grumman was awarded the contract, and reached initial operational capability (IOC) in 1973. The United States Marine Corps was initially interested in the F-14 as an F-4 Phantom II replacement, going so far as to send officers to Fighter Squadron One Twenty-Four (VF-124) to train as instructors. The Marine Corps pulled out of any procurement when the development of the stores' management system for ground attack munitions was not pursued. An air-to-ground capability was not developed until the 1990s.[18]

Firing trials involved launches against simulated targets of various types, from cruise missiles to high-flying bombers. AIM-54 Phoenix missile testing from the F-14 began in April 1972. The longest single Phoenix launch was successful against a target at a range of 110 nmi (200 km) in April 1973. Another unusual test was made on 22 November 1973, when six missiles were fired within 38 seconds at Mach 0.78 and 24,800 ft (7,600 m); four scored direct hits, one broke the lock and missed, and one was declared "no test" after the radar signature augmentation in the target drone (which increased the apparent radar signature of the tiny drone to the size of a MiG-21) failed, causing the missile to break track. This gave a tested success rate of 80% since effectively only 5 missiles were tested. This was the most expensive single test of air-to-air missiles ever performed at that time.[19]

Improvements and changes Edit

Throughout production, the F-14 underwent significant upgrades in missile armament, especially with the move to full solid-state electronics, primarily allowing for better Electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) and more space for the rocket motor. The AIM-54A Phoenix active-radar air-to-air missile was upgraded with the AIM-54B (1983, limited use) and AIM-54C (1986) versions.[20] The initial AIM-7E-4[21] Sparrow semi-active radar homing was upgraded to the AIM-7F in 1976, and the M variant in 1982.[22] The heat-seeking missile armament was upgraded from the AIM-9J/H to the joint Air Force/Navy missile, the AIM-9L in 1979, and then the AIM-9M in 1982.[23]

The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed in the late 1970s for the F-14. Approximately 65 F-14As and all F-14Ds were modified to carry the pod.[24] TARPS was primarily controlled by the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) via an extra display for observing reconnaissance data. The "TARPS Digital (TARPS-DI)" was a 1996 upgrade featuring a digital camera. The digital camera was further updated beginning in 1998 with the "TARPS Completely Digital (TARPS-CD)" configuration that also provided real-time transmission of imagery.[25]

In 1984, plans were announced to replace the existing TF-30 engines of the Tomcat with General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofans.[26] An initial, interim, version just replaced the TF-30 with the new engine, retaining the original avionics. These aircraft were designated F-14A+, which was changed to F-14B in May 1991. 38 F-14A+s were newly built, with a further 43 converted from F-14As.[27][28] The F-14D variant was developed at the same time; it included the F110 engines with newer digital avionics systems such as a glass cockpit and compatibility with the Link 16 secure datalink.[29] The Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) notably improved the F-14's handling qualities when flying at a high angle of attack or in air combat maneuvering.[citation needed]

 
VFA-143 "Pukin Dogs" F-14B (in the foreground) and F/A-18E Super Hornet in 2005

While the F-14 had been developed as a lightweight alternative to the 80,000 lb (36,000 kg) F-111B, the F-14 was still the heaviest and most expensive fighter of its time. VFAX was revived in the 1970s as a lower cost solution to replacing the Navy and Marine Corps's fleets of F-4s, and A-7s. VFAX was directed to review the fighters in the USAF Light Weight Fighter competition, which led to the development of the F/A-18 Hornet as roughly a midsize fighter and attack aircraft. In 1994, Congress rejected Grumman proposals to the Navy to upgrade the Tomcat beyond the D model (such as the Super Tomcat 21, the cheaper QuickStrike version, and the more advanced Attack Super Tomcat 21).[30]

Ground attack upgrades Edit

 
An F-14D launching an AIM-7 Sparrow; a GBU-10 Paveway II is also carried.

In the 1990s, with the pending retirement of the Grumman A-6 Intruder, the F-14 air-to-ground program was resurrected. Trials with live bombs had been carried out in the 1980s; the F-14 was cleared to use basic iron bombs in 1992. During Operation Desert Storm of the Gulf War, most air-to-ground missions were left to LTV A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet squadrons, while the F-14s focused on air defense operations. Following Desert Storm, F-14As and F-14Bs underwent upgrades to avionics and cockpit displays to enable the use of precision munitions, enhance defensive systems, and apply structural improvements. The new avionics were comparable with the F-14D; these upgraded aircraft were designated F-14A (Upgrade) and F-14B (Upgrade) respectively.[24]

By 1994, Grumman and the Navy were proposing ambitious plans for Tomcat upgrades to plug the gap between the retirement of the A-6 and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet entering service. However, the upgrades would have taken too long to implement to meet the gap, and were priced in the billions. The U.S. Congress considered this too expensive for an interim solution.[24] A quick, inexpensive upgrade using the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) targeting pod was devised. The LANTIRN pod provided the F-14 with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera for night operations and a laser target designator to direct laser-guided bombs (LGB).[31] Although LANTIRN is traditionally a two-pod system, an AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod with terrain-following radar and a wide-angle FLIR, along with an AN/AAQ-14 targeting pod with a steerable FLIR and a laser target designator, the decision was made to only use the targeting pod. The Tomcat's LANTIRN pod was altered and improved over the baseline configuration, such as a Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) capability to allow an F-14 to accurately locate itself. The pod was carried on the right wing glove pylon.[31]

 
An F-14D(R) from VF-213 flying over Iraq on the last Tomcat deployment with a LANTIRN pod on the starboard wing glove station and a laser-guided bomb underneath the fuselage

The LANTIRN pod did not require changes to the F-14's own system software, but the pod was designed to operate on a MIL-STD-1553B bus not present on the F-14A or B. Consequently, Martin Marietta specially developed an interface card for LANTIRN. The Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) would receive pod imagery on a 10-inch Programmable Tactical Information Display (PTID) or another Multi-Function Display in the F-14[citation needed] rear cockpit and guided LGBs using a new hand controller installed on the right side console. Initially, the hand controller replaced the RIO's TARPS control panel, meaning a Tomcat configured for LANTIRN could not carry TARPS and the reverse, but eventually a workaround was later developed to allow a Tomcat to carry LANTIRN or TARPS as needed.[31]

An upgraded LANTIRN named "LANTIRN 40K" for operations up to 40,000 ft (12,000 m) was introduced in 2001, followed by Tomcat Tactical Targeting (T3) and Fast Tactical Imagery (FTI), to provide precise target coordinate determination and ability to transmit images in-flight.[1] Tomcats also added the ability to carry the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) in 2003, giving it the option of a variety of LGB and GPS-guided weapons.[32] Some F-14Ds were upgraded in 2005 with a ROVER III Full Motion Video (FMV) downlink, a system that transmits real-time images from the aircraft's sensors to the laptop of a forward air controller (FAC) on the ground.[33]

Production termination Edit

Although the F-14D was to be the definitive version of the Tomcat, not all fleet units received the D variant. In 1989, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney refused to approve the purchase of any more F-14D model aircraft, stopping production after 37 F-14Ds had been built, although 18 more were produced by conversion of F-14As, giving a total of 55 F-14Ds.[34] An upgrade to the F-14D's computer software to allow AIM-120 AMRAAM missile capability was planned but was later terminated to free up funding for LANTIRN integration.[24] While upgrades kept the F-14 competitive with other teen series fighters, Cheney stated that the F-14 was 1960s technology. Despite an appeal from the Secretary of the Navy for at least 132 F-14Ds and some aggressive proposals from Grumman for a replacement,[35] Cheney planned to replace the F-14 with a fighter that was not manufactured by Grumman. According to Cheney, the F-14 was a "jobs program", and when the F-14 was canceled, an estimated 80,000 jobs of Grumman employees, subcontractors, or support personnel were affected.[36] Cheney's cancellation of the F-14D and A-6F was controversial and contributed heavily to Grumman's decline and resulting acquisition by Northrop Corporation to form Northrop Grumman.[37]

Design Edit

F-14 Tomcat flight demonstration video

The F-14 Tomcat was designed as both an air superiority fighter and a long-range naval interceptor,[38][39][40] which enabled it to both serve as escort attack aircraft when armed with Sparrow missiles and fleet air defense loitering interceptor role when armed with Phoenix missiles.[41] The F-14 was designed with a two-seat cockpit with a bubble canopy which affords all-around visibility aiding aircrew in air-to-air combat. It features variable geometry wings that swing automatically during flight. For high-speed intercept, they are swept back and they swing forward for lower speed flight.[42] It was designed to improve on the F-4 Phantom's air combat performance in most respects.[38]

The F-14's fuselage and wings allow it to climb faster than the F-4, while the "twin-tail" empennage (dual vertical stabilizers with ventral fins on the engine nacelles) offers better stability. The F-14 is equipped with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon mounted on the left side (unlike the Phantom, which was not equipped with an internal gun in the US Navy), and can carry AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow, and AIM-9 Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles. The twin engines are housed in widely spaced nacelles. The flat area of the fuselage between the nacelles is used to contain fuel and avionics systems, such as the wing-sweep mechanism and flight controls, as well as weaponry since the wings are not used for carrying ordnance.[42] By itself, the fuselage provides approximately 40 to 60 percent of the F-14's aerodynamic lifting surface depending on the wing sweep position.[citation needed] The lifting body characteristics of the fuselage allowed one F-14 to safely land after suffering a mid-air collision that sheared off more than half of the plane's right wing in 1991.[43]

The landing gear is very robust, in order to withstand catapult launches (takeoffs) and recoveries (landings) needed for carrier operations. It comprises a double nosewheel and widely spaced single main wheels. There are no hardpoints on the sweeping parts of the wings, and so all the armament is fitted on the belly between the air intake ramps and on pylons under the wing gloves. Internal fuel capacity is 2,400 US gal (9,100 L): 290 US gal (1,100 L) in each wing, 690 US gal (2,600 L) in a series of tanks aft of the cockpit, and a further 457 US gal (1,730 L) in two feeder tanks. It can carry two 267 US gal (1,010 L) external drop tanks under the engine intake ramps.[42] There is also an air-to-air refueling probe, which folds into the starboard nose.[citation needed]

Variable-geometry wings and aerodynamic design Edit

 
F-14 Tomcat with wings in asymmetric sweep during testing for this possible in-flight malfunction

The F-14's wing sweep can be varied between 20° and 68° in flight,[44] and can be automatically controlled by its Central Air Data Computer (CADC), which maintains wing sweep at the optimum lift-to-drag ratio as the Mach number varies; pilots can manually override the system if desired.[42] When parked, the wings can be "overswept" to 75° to overlap the horizontal stabilizers to save deck space aboard carriers. In an emergency, the F-14 can land with the wings fully swept to 68°,[42] although this presents a significant safety hazard due to greatly increased stall speed. Such an aircraft would typically be diverted from an aircraft carrier to a land base if an incident did occur. The F-14 has flown safely with an asymmetrical wing-sweep during testing, and was deemed able to land aboard a carrier if needed in an emergency.[45]

The wing pivot points are significantly spaced far apart. This has two benefits. The first is that weaponry can be fitted on a pylon on the fixed wing glove, liberating the wings from having swiveling pylons fitted, a feature which had proven to add significant drag on the F-111B.[41] Since less of the total lifting area is variable, the center of lift moves less as the wings move, reducing trim drag at high speed.[41] When the wing is swept back, its thickness-to-chord ratio decreases, which allows the aircraft to satisfy the Mach 2.4 top speed required by the U.S. Navy.[41] The body of the aircraft contributes significantly to overall lift and so the Tomcat possesses a lower wing loading than its wing area would suggest. When carrying four Phoenix missiles or other heavy stores between the engines this advantage is lost and maneuverability is reduced in those configurations.[41]

 
Rear view of the F-14 showing the area between the engine nacelles

Ailerons are not fitted, with roll control being provided by wing-mounted spoilers at low speed (which are disabled if the sweep angle exceeds 57°), and by differential operation of the all-moving tailerons at high speed.[42] Full-span slats and flaps are used to increase lift both for landing and combat, with slats being set at 17° for landing and 7° for combat, while flaps are set at 35° for landing and 10° for combat.[42] An air bag fills up the space occupied by the swept-back wing when the wing is in the forward position and a flexible fairing on top of the wing smooths out the shape transition between the fuselage and top wing area.[41] The twin tail layout helps in maneuvers at high angle of attack (AoA) while reducing the height of the aircraft to fit within the limited roof clearance of hangars aboard aircraft carriers.[42]

The wings have a two-spar structure with integral fuel tanks. Around 25% of the structure is made of titanium, including the wing box, wing pivots, and upper and lower wing skins;[42] this is a light, rigid, and strong material. Electron beam welding was used in the construction of the titanium parts. The F-14 was designed for maneuver loads of 7.5 g, but this was usually limited to 6.5 g in the fleet to extend the aircraft's service life.[41]

Two triangular shaped retractable surfaces, called glove vanes, were originally mounted in the forward part of the wing glove, and could be automatically extended by the flight control system at high Mach numbers. They were used to generate additional lift (force) ahead of the aircraft's center of gravity, thus helping to compensate for mach tuck at supersonic speeds. Automatically deployed at above Mach 1.4, they allowed the F-14 to pull 7.5 g at Mach 2 and could be manually extended with wings swept full aft. They were later disabled, however, owing to their additional weight and complexity.[42] The air brakes consist of top-and-bottom extendable surfaces at the rearmost portion of the fuselage, between the engine nacelles. The bottom surface is split into left and right halves; the tailhook hangs between the two-halves, an arrangement sometimes called the "castor tail".[46]

Engines Edit

The F-14A was initially equipped with two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A (or JTF10A) augmented turbofan engines, each rated at 20,900 lb (93 kN) of static uninstalled thrust, which enabled the aircraft to attain a maximum speed of Mach 2.34.[47] The F-14 would normally fly at a cruising speed for reduced fuel consumption, which was important for conducting lengthy patrol missions.[48] The rectangular air inlets for the engines were equipped with movable ramps and bleed doors to meet the different airflow requirements of the engine from take-off to maximum supersonic speed. Variable nozzles were also fitted to the engine's exhaust. Late production F-14A had the improved TF30-P-414A engines. The Navy had originally planned to replace the TF30 with the Pratt & Whitney F401, the naval variant of the F-15's F100 engine, but this plan was ultimately canceled due to costs and reliability problems.[49]

 
An F-14D prepares to refuel with probe extended.

The performance of the TF30 engine became an object of criticism. John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy in the 1980s, told the U.S. Congress that the TF30/F-14 combination was "probably the worst engine/airframe mismatch we have had in years" and that the TF30 was "a terrible engine";[44][46] 28% of all F-14 accidents were attributed to the engine. A high frequency of turbine blade failures led to the reinforcement of the entire engine bay to limit damage from such failures. The engines also had proved to be extremely susceptible to compressor stalls especially at high AoA and during rapid throttle transients or above 30,000 ft (9,100 m), which could easily result in loss of control, severe yaw oscillations, and could lead to an unrecoverable flat spin. At specific altitudes, exhaust produced by missile launches could cause an engine compressor stall. This led to the development of a bleed system that temporarily blocks the frontal intake ramp and reduces engine power during missile launch.[citation needed]

The upgraded F-14A+, later redesignated F-14B, and F-14D were equipped with the General Electric F110-GE-400. The F110 provided a significant increase in thrust, with a static uninstalled thrust of 26,950 pounds-force (120 kN); installed thrust is 23,400 pounds-force (104 kN) with afterburner at sea level, which rose to 30,200 lbf (134 kN) at Mach 0.9.[50][51] The increased thrust gave the Tomcat a better than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio at low fuel quantities, and the rate of climb was increased by 61%. The basic engine thrust without afterburner was powerful enough for carrier launches. While this did result in fuel savings, the main reason not to use afterburner during carrier launches was that if an engine failed the F110's thrust in full afterburner would produce a yawing moment too abruptly for the pilot to correct. Thus the launch of an F-14B or F-14D with afterburner was rare, while the F-14A required full afterburner unless very lightly loaded. The F110 was also more efficient, allowing the Tomcat to cruise comfortably above 30,000 ft (9,100 m), which increased its range and survivability as well as endurance for time on station. In the overland attack role, this gave the F-14B and F-14D 60% more striking range or one-third more time on station.[52] The F-14B arrived in time to participate in Desert Storm.[citation needed]

With the TF30, the F-14's overall thrust-to-weight ratio at maximum takeoff weight is around 0.56, considerably less than the F-15A's ratio of 0.85; when fitted with the F110 engine, an improved thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.73 at maximum weight and 0.88 at normal takeoff weight was achieved.[47] Despite having large differences in static thrust, the TF30-equipped F-14A and the F110-equipped F-14B and F-14D were rated at the same top speed.[N 2][53][54]

In 1996, two F110-equipped Tomcat crashed after an afterburner failure. In the second crash, lighting the afterburner damaged the afterburner can's lining and led to an explosion. The Navy prohibited the use of afterburner on the F-14A+/B/D below 10,000 feet until GE could redesign the afterburners, a process that took over a year to complete.[55]

Avionics and flight controls Edit

The cockpit has two seats, arranged in tandem, outfitted with Martin-Baker GRU-7A rocket-propelled ejection seats, rated from zero altitude and zero airspeed up to 450 knots.[56] The canopy is spacious, and fitted with four mirrors to effectively provide all-round visibility. Only the pilot has flight controls; the flight instruments themselves are of a hybrid analog-digital nature.[42] The cockpit also features a head-up display (HUD) to show primarily navigational information; several other avionics systems such as communications and direction-finders are integrated into the AWG-9 radar's display. A feature of the F-14 is its Central Air Data Computer (CADC), designed by Garrett AiResearch, that forms the onboard integrated flight control system. It uses a MOSFET-based Large-Scale Integration chipset.[57]

 
F-14 with landing gear deployed

The aircraft's large nose contains a two-person crew and several bulky avionics systems. The main element is the Hughes AN/AWG-9 X band radar; the antenna is a 36 in (91 cm)-wide planar array, and has integrated Identification friend or foe antennas. The AWG-9 has several search and tracking modes, such as Track while scan (TWS), Range-While-Search (RWS), Pulse-Doppler Single-Target Track (PDSTT), and Jam Angle Track (JAT); a maximum of 24 targets can be tracked simultaneously, and six can be engaged in TWS mode up to around 60 mi (97 km). Cruise missiles are also possible targets with the AWG-9, which can lock onto and track small objects even at low altitude when in Pulse-Doppler mode.[42] For the F-14D, the AWG-9 was replaced by the upgraded APG-71 radar. The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS)/Link 16 for data communications was added later on.[58]

The F-14 also features electronic countermeasures (ECM) and radar warning receiver (RWR) systems, chaff/flare dispensers, fighter-to-fighter data link, and a precise inertial navigation system.[42] The early navigation system was inertial-based; point-of-origin coordinates were programmed into a navigation computer and gyroscopes would track the aircraft's every motion to calculate distance and direction from that starting point. Global Positioning System later was integrated to provide more precise navigation and redundancy in case either system failed. The chaff/flare dispensers are located on the underside of the fuselage and on the tail. The F-14 was initially equipped with the AN/ALR-45/50 RWR system, while later production aircraft were equipped with the AN/ALR-67; the RWR system consists of several antennas on the aircraft's fuselage, which can roughly calculate both direction and distance of enemy radar users; it can also differentiate between search radar, tracking radar, and missile-homing radar.[59]

Featured in the sensor suite was the AN/ALR-23, an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor using indium antimonide detectors, mounted under the nose; however the system was unreliable and was replaced by an optical system, Northrop's AAX-1, also designated TCS (TV Camera Set). The AAX-1 helps pilots visually identify and track aircraft, up to a range of 60 miles (97 km) for large aircraft[citation needed]. The radar and the AAX-1 are linked, allowing the one detector to follow the direction of the other.[60] A dual infrared/optical detection system was adopted on the later F-14D, with the new AN/AAS-42 IRST and the TCS placed side-by-side.[61]

Armament Edit

 
F-14 Tomcat carrying an AIM-120 AMRAAM during a 1982 test

The F-14 was designed to combat highly maneuverable aircraft as well as the Soviet anti-ship cruise missile and bomber (Tupolev Tu-16, Tupolev Tu-22, Tupolev Tu-22M) threats.[40] The Tomcat was to be a platform for the AIM-54 Phoenix, but unlike the canceled F-111B, it could also engage medium- and short-range threats with other weapons.[38][40] The F-14 is an air superiority fighter, not just a long-range interceptor aircraft.[40] Over 6,700 kg (14,800 lb) of stores can be carried for combat missions on several hardpoints under the fuselage and under the wing gloves. Commonly, this means a maximum of four Phoenixes or Sparrows on the belly stations, two Phoenixes/Sparrows on the wing hardpoints, and two Sidewinders on the wing glove hardpoints.[citation needed] The F-14 is also fitted with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. The Tomcat could also support MK-80 - MK-84 GBUs on its hardpoints. While in this configuration it was known to pilots as a "Bombcat".[citation needed]

Operationally, the capability to hold up to six Phoenix missiles was never used, although early testing was conducted; there was never a threat requirement to engage six hostile targets simultaneously and the load was too heavy to safely recover aboard an aircraft carrier in the event that the missiles were not fired. During the height of Cold War operations in the late 1970s and 1980s, the typical weapon loadout on carrier-deployed F-14s was usually two AIM-54 Phoenixes, augmented by two AIM-9 Sidewinders, three AIM-7 Sparrows, a full loadout of 20 mm ammunition and two drop tanks.[citation needed] The Phoenix missile was used twice in combat by the U.S. Navy, both over Iraq in 1999,[62][63][64] but the missiles did not score any kills.[citation needed] According to retired RIO Dave Baranek, the first two launch failures, on January 5, 1999, occurred when two F-14D Super Tomcats, carrying AIM-54Cs, fired two Phoenix missiles at a pair of MiG-23 jets. The missiles' rocket motors did not ignite because they were improperly armed prior to launch from the carrier.[65][66] However, as two F/A-18s chased the two MiG-23s, one MiG-23 ran out of fuel and crashed, killing the pilot. The US Navy did not claim a kill, but Captain James T. Knight, commander of CVW-11, said "Screw him...a kill is a kill."[67] On September 14, 1999, an F-14D assigned to CVW-2 aboard the USS Constellation fired an AIM-54C missile at a MiG-23 at very long range. The MiG-23 quickly tured and fled, and was able to outrun the missile. Lieutenant Commander Coby "Coach" Loessberg, the Super Tomcat's pilot, commented afterward that had the Tomcat been closer to the center of the envelope, at optimal speed and altitude, a kill would have been more likely.[68]

 
Two Iranian Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles, c. 1986, in the midst of a project to adapt I-Hawk surface-to-air missiles for F-14s[69]

Iran made use of the Phoenix system, claiming dozens of kills with it during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War. Due to the shortage of air-to-air missiles as a result of sanctions, Iran tried to use other missiles on the Tomcat. It attempted to integrate the Russian R-27R "Alamo" BVR missile, but was apparently unsuccessful.[70] In 1985, Iran started Project Sky Hawk, attempting to adapt I-Hawk surface-to-air missiles, which Iran had in its inventory, for F-14s. The modified missiles were successfully tested in 1986 and one or two were used in combat, but the project was abandoned due to guidance problems.[69]

Operational history Edit

Main article: F-14 Tomcat operational history

United States Edit

 
An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in a 1970s color scheme, circa 1978

The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom II in U.S. Navy service starting in September 1974 with squadrons VF-1 "Wolfpack" and VF-2 "Bounty Hunters" aboard USS Enterprise and participated in the American withdrawal from Saigon. The F-14 had its first kills in U.S. Navy service on 19 August 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra in what is known as the Gulf of Sidra incident. In that engagement, two F-14s from VF-41 Black Aces were engaged by two Libyan Su-22 "Fitters". The F-14s evaded the Libyan missile and returned fire, downing both Libyan aircraft with AIM-9L Sidewinders.[71] U.S. Navy F-14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on 4 January 1989, when two F-14s from VF-32 shot down two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" over the Gulf of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra incident.[72]

Its first sustained combat use was as a photo reconnaissance platform. The Tomcat was selected to inherit the reconnaissance mission upon the departure of the dedicated North American RA-5C Vigilante and Vought RF-8G Crusaders from the fleet. A large pod called the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed and fielded on the Tomcat in 1981. With the retirement of the last RF-8G Crusaders in 1982, TARPS F-14s became the U.S. Navy's primary tactical reconnaissance system.[73] One of two Tomcat squadrons per airwing was designated as a TARPS unit and received 3 TARPS capable aircraft.[74]

 
An F-14A from VF-114 intercepting a Soviet Tu-95RT "Bear-D" maritime reconnaissance aircraft

While the Tomcat was being used by Iran in combat against Iraq in its intended air superiority mission in the early 1980s, the U.S. Navy found itself flying regular daily combat missions over Lebanon to photograph activity in the Bekaa Valley. At the time, the Tomcat had been thought too large and vulnerable to be used over land, but the need for imagery was so great that Tomcat aircrews developed high-speed medium altitude tactics to deal with considerable AAA and SA-7 SAM threat in the Bekaa area. The first exposure of a Navy Tomcat to an SA-2 missile was over Somalia in April 1983 when a local battery was unaware of two Tomcats scheduled for a TARPS mission in a prelude to an upcoming international exercise in the vicinity of Berbera. An SA-2 was fired at the second Tomcat while conducting 10,000 ft (3,000 m) mapping profile at max conserve setting. The Tomcat aircrews spotted the missile launch and dove for the deck thereby evading it without damage. The unexpected demand for combat TARPS laid the way for high altitude sensors such as the KA-93 Long Range Optics (LOROP) to be rapidly procured for the Tomcat as well as an Expanded Chaff Adapter (ECA) to be incorporated in an AIM-54 Phoenix Rail. Commercial "fuzz buster" type radar detectors were also procured and mounted in pairs in the forward cockpit as a stop gap solution to detect SAM radars such as the SA-6. The ultimate solution was an upgrade to the ALR-67 then being developed, but it would not be ready until the advent of the F-14A+ later in the 1980s.[75]

 
An F-14A of VF-32 during Operation Desert Storm with a KC-135 Stratotanker and two EA-6B Prowlers in the background

The participation of the F-14 in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm consisted of Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and overland missions consisting of strike escort and reconnaissance. Until the waning days of Desert Storm, in-country air superiority was tasked to USAF F-15 Eagles due to the way the Air Tasking Orders (ATO) delegated primary overland CAP stations to the F-15. The governing Rules of Engagement (ROE) also dictated a strict Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) requirement when employing Beyond Visual Range weapons such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and particularly the AIM-54 Phoenix. This hampered the Tomcat from using its most powerful weapon. Furthermore, the powerful emissions from the AWG-9 radar are detectable at great range with a radar warning receiver. Iraqi fighters routinely retreated as soon as the Tomcats "lit them up" with the AWG-9.[76][77] The U.S. Navy suffered its only F-14 loss from enemy action on 21 January 1991 when BuNo 161430, an F-14A upgraded to an F-14A+, from VF-103 was shot down by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission near Al Asad airbase in Iraq. Both crew members survived ejection with the pilot being rescued by USAF Special Operation Forces and the RIO being captured by Iraqi troops as a POW until the end of the war.[78] The F-14 also achieved its final kill in US service, a Mi-8 "Hip" helicopter, with an AIM-9 Sidewinder.[79]

 
A Navy F-14D flying over the skies of Afghanistan on a precision bombing mission in November 2001

In 1995, F-14s from VF-14 and VF-41 participated in Operation Deliberate Force as well as Operation Allied Force in 1999, and in 1998, VF-32 and VF-213 participated in Operation Desert Fox. On 15 February 2001, the Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM was added to the Tomcat's arsenal. On 7 October 2001, F-14s would lead some of the first strikes into Afghanistan marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom and the first F-14 drop of a JDAM occurred on 11 March 2002. F-14s from VF-2, VF-31, VF-32, VF-154, and VF-213 would also participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The F-14Ds of VF-2, VF-31, and VF-213 obtained JDAM capability in March 2003.[32] On 10 December 2005, the F-14Ds of VF-31 and VF-213 were upgraded with a ROVER III downlink for transmitting images to a ground Forward Air Controller (FAC).[33] The Navy decided to retire the F-14 with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet filling the roles of fleet defense and strike formerly filled by the F-14.[80][81]

 
The last F-14 launch from a carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, on 28 July 2006

The last American F-14 combat mission was completed on 8 February 2006, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt after one dropped a bomb over Iraq. During their final deployment with Theodore Roosevelt, VF-31 and VF-213 collectively completed 1,163 combat sorties totaling 6,876 flight hours, and dropped 9,500 lb (4,300 kg) of ordnance during reconnaissance, surveillance, and close air support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[82] USS Theodore Roosevelt launched an F-14D, of VF-31, for the last time on 28 July 2006; piloted by Lt. Blake Coleman and Lt. Cmdr Dave Lauderbaugh as RIO.[83] The last two F-14 squadrons, the VF-31 Tomcatters and the VF-213 Black Lions conducted their last fly-in at Naval Air Station Oceana on 10 March 2006.[84]

The official final flight retirement ceremony was on 22 September 2006 at Naval Air Station Oceana and was flown by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard and Lt. Mike Petronis as RIO in a backup F-14 after the primary aircraft experienced mechanical problems.[85][86] The actual last flight of an F-14 in U.S. service took place 4 October 2006, when an F-14D of VF-31 was ferried from NAS Oceana to Republic Airport on Long Island, New York.[86] The remaining intact F-14 aircraft in the U.S. were flown to and stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group "Boneyard", at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; in 2007 the U.S. Navy announced plans to shred the remaining F-14s to prevent any components from being acquired by Iran.[87] In August 2009, the 309th AMARG stated that the last aircraft were taken to HVF West, Tucson, Arizona for shredding. At that time only 11 F-14s remained in desert storage.[88]

Iran Edit

Although attempts had been made to sell the Tomcat to the air forces of Canada, Germany, and Japan,[89] the Imperial Iranian Air Force would ultimately be the sole foreign customer for the Tomcat during the reign of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In the early 1970s, the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was searching for an advanced fighter, specifically one capable of intercepting Soviet MiG-25 reconnaissance flights. After a visit of U.S. President Richard Nixon to Pahlavi Iran in 1972, during which Iran was offered the latest in American military technology, the IIAF selected and initiated acquisition of the F-14 Tomcat, but offered McDonnell Douglas the chance to demonstrate its F-15 Eagle.[90] The US Navy and Grumman Corporation arranged competitive demonstrations of the Eagle and the Tomcat at Andrews AFB for the Shah and high-ranking officers, and in January 1974 Iran placed an order for 30 F-14s and 424 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, initiating Project Persian King, worth US$300 million. A few months later, this order was increased to a total of 80 Tomcats and 714 Phoenix missiles as well as spare parts and replacement engines for 10 years, complete armament package, and support infrastructure (including construction of the Khatami Air Base near Isfahan).[citation needed]

The first F-14 arrived in January 1976, modified only by the removal of classified avionics components, but fitted with the TF-30-414 engines. The following year 12 more were delivered. Meanwhile, training of the first groups of Iranian crews by the U.S. Navy was underway in the US; one of these conducted a successful shoot-down with a Phoenix missile of a target drone flying at 50,000 ft (15 km).[citation needed]

Following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the air force was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and the post-revolution Interim Government of Iran canceled most Western arms orders. In 1980, an Iranian F-14 shot down an Iraqi Mil Mi-25 helicopter for its first air-to-air kill during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988).[2] According to research by Tom Cooper, Iranian F-14s scored at least 50 air-to-air victories in the first six months of the war against Iraqi MiG-21s, MiG-23s and some Su-20s/22s. During the same period, only one Iranian F-14 suffered damage after being hit by debris from a nearby MiG-21 that exploded.[91]

Iranian Tomcats were originally used as an early-warning platform assisting other less-sophisticated aircraft with targeting and defense. They were also crucial to the defense of areas deemed vital by the Iranian government, such as oil terminals on Kharg Island and industrial infrastructure in the capital Tehran. Many of these patrols had the support of Boeing 707-3J9C in-flight refueling tankers. As fighting escalated between 1982 and 1986, the F-14s gradually became more involved in the battle. They performed well, but their primary role was to intimidate the Iraqi Air Force and avoid heavy engagement to protect the fleet's numbers. Their presence was often enough to drive away opposing Iraqi fighters. The precision and effectiveness of the Tomcat's AWG-9 weapons system and AIM-54A Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles enabled the F-14 to maintain air superiority.[91][92] In December 1980, an Iraqi MiG-21bis accounted for the only confirmed kill of an F-14 by that type of aircraft.[93] On 11 August 1984, a MiG-23ML shot down an F-14A using an R-60 missile.[93] On 2 September 1986, a MiG-23ML using an R-24T missile mistakenly shot down an F-14 that was defecting to Iraq.[94] On 17 January 1987, another Iranian F-14A was shot down; according to some sources it was shot down by a MiG-23ML.[93] According to the latest data, the F-14A, which was shot down on 17 January, was destroyed by an R-40 missile fired by an Iraqi MiG-25PDS (pilot Captain Adnan Sae’ed), and the MiG-23 pilot did not claim any victory.[95]

 
Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down eleven Iraqi aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War, making him the highest scoring F-14 pilot.[96]

Iraq also obtained Mirage F.1EQ fighters from France in 1981, armed with Super530F and Magic Mk.2 air-to-air missiles. The Mirage F.1 fighters were eventually responsible for four confirmed F-14 kills.[97] The IRIAF attempted to keep 60 F-14s operational throughout the war, but reports indicate this number was reduced to 30 by 1986 with only half fully mission-capable.[91][98]

Based on research by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop, Iran claimed their F-14s shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War, including 58 MiG-23s (15 of these are confirmed according to Cooper), 33 Mirage F1s, 23 MiG-21s, 23 Su-20s/22s, nine MiG-25s (one of these are confirmed according to Iraqi sources), five Tu-22s, two MiG-27s, one Mil Mi-24, one Dassault Mirage 5, one B-6D, one Aérospatiale Super Frelon, and two unidentified aircraft. Despite the circumstances the F-14s and their crews faced during the war against Iraq – lacking support from AWACS, AEW aircraft, and Ground Control Intercept (GCI) – the F-14 proved to be successful in combat. It achieved this in the midst of a confrontation with an enemy that was constantly upgrading its capabilities and receiving support from three major countries – France, the US, and the USSR. Part of the success is attributed to the resilient Iranian economy and IRIAF personnel.[2][91]

While Iraq's army claimed it shot down more than 70 F-14s, the Foreign Broadcast Information System in Washington DC estimated that Iran lost 12 to 16 F-14s during the war. Cooper writes three F-14s were shot down by Iraqi pilots and four by Iranian surface-to-air missiles (SAM). Two more Tomcats were lost in unknown circumstances during the battle, and seven crashed due to technical failure or accidents.[99] During the war, the Iranian Air Force F-14s suffered ten confirmed losses, one lost due to engine stall, one in unknown conditions, two by Iranian Hawk SAMs, two by MIG-23s and four were shot down by Mirage F-1s. There are also unconfirmed reports of the downing of 10 more Tomcats.[100]

On 31 August 1986, an Iranian F-14A armed with at least one AIM-54A missile defected to Iraq. Then again on 2 September 1986 another Iranian F-14A defected to Iraq.[101][102] In addition, one or more of Iran's F-14A was delivered to the Soviet Union in exchange for technical assistance; at least one of its crew defected to the Soviet Union.[103]

On 24 July 2002, an Iranian F-14A confronted two Azerbaijani MiG-25s that were threatening an Iranian P-3F, securing a radar lock on one of the MiGs, which then turned away, during tensions over attempts by Azerbaijan to survey for oil in Iranian waters in the Caspian Sea.[104]

Iran had an estimated 44 F-14s in 2009 according to Combat Aircraft.[105] Aviation Week estimated it had 19 operational F-14s in January 2013,[106] and FlightGlobal estimated that 28 were in service in 2014.[107]

 
Formation flight of Iranian Tomcats, 2008

Following the US Navy's retirement of its Tomcats in 2006, Iran sought to purchase spare parts for its aircraft.[108] In January 2007, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that sales of spare F-14 parts would be suspended over concerns of the parts ending up in Iran.[109] In July 2007, the remaining American F-14s were shredded to ensure that any parts could not be acquired.[87] Despite these measures, Iran managed to significantly increase its stocks of spare parts, increasing the number of airworthy Tomcats, although as it did not manage to obtain spare parts for the aircraft's weapon systems, the number of combat ready Tomcats was still low (seven in 2008).[110] In 2010, Iran requested that the U.S. deliver the 80th F-14 that it had purchased in 1974 but never received due to the Islamic Revolution.[111][112] In October 2010, an Iranian Air Force commander claimed that the country overhauls and optimizes different types of military aircraft, mentioning their Air Force has installed Iran-made radar systems on the F-14.[113] In 2012, the Iranian Air Force's Mehrabad Overhaul Center delivered an F-14 with upgraded weapon systems with locally sourced components, designated F-14AM.[114] Shortages of Phoenix missiles led to attempts to integrate the Russian R-27 semi-active radar-guided missile, but these proved unsuccessful. An alternative was the use of modified MIM-23 Hawk missiles to replace the Tomcat's Phoenixes and Sparrows, but as the Tomcat could only carry two Hawks, this project was also abandoned, and the Fakour-90 missile, which used the guidance system of the Hawk packaged into the airframe of the Phoenix, launched. Pre-production Fakour-90s were delivered in 2017, and a production order for 100 missiles (now designated AIM-23B) was placed in 2018, intending to replace the F-14s AIM-7E Sparrow missiles.[115]

On 26 January 2012, an Iranian F-14 crashed three minutes after takeoff. Both crew members were killed.[116]

In November 2015, Iranian F-14s were reported flying escort for Russian Tu-95, Tu-160 and Tu-22M bombers on air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[117][118]

On 14 May 2019 an Iranian F-14 crashed during landing at Isfahan-Shahid Beheshti Airport. Both crew members ejected and survived.[119]

Variants Edit

A total of 712 F-14s were built from 1969 to 1991. F-14 assembly and test flights were performed at Grumman's plant in Calverton on Long Island, New York. Grumman facility at nearby Bethpage, New York was directly involved in F-14 manufacturing and was home to its engineers. The airframes were partially assembled in Bethpage and then shipped to Calverton for final assembly. Various tests were also performed at the Bethpage Plant. Around 34 F-14s have been lost over thirty years of service.[citation needed]

F-14A Edit

The F-14A was the initial two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather interceptor fighter variant for the U.S. Navy. It first flew on 21 December 1970. The first 12 F-14As were prototype versions[120] (sometimes called YF-14As). Modifications late in its service life added precision strike munitions to its armament. The U.S. Navy received 478 F-14A aircraft and 79 were received by Iran.[citation needed] The final 102 F-14As were delivered with improved Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-414A engines.[citation needed] Additionally, an 80th F-14A was manufactured for Iran, but was delivered to the U.S. Navy.[citation needed]

Throughout its production run, the F-14A underwent numerous changes which were divided into blocks labelled in multiples of 5:[121]

  • F-14A-60 (BuNo 158612 - 158619), F-14A-65 (BuNo 158620 - 158637), F-14A-70 (BuNo 158978 - 159006), F-14A-75 (BuNo 159007 - 159025) – early beaver tail with dielectric fairings, IRST chin pod with ALQ-100 antenna, 7-holed gun vent
  • F-14A-75 (BuNo 159421 - 159429), F-14A-80 (BuNo 159430 - 159468) – dielectric fairings removed from beaver tail
  • F-14A-85 (BuNo BuNo 159588 - 159637) – AN/ARC-159 UHF radio replaced AN/ARC-51A radio, 2-holed gun vent installed during construction of airframe BuNos. 159612 - 159615
  • F-14A-90 (BuNo 159825 - 159874), F-14A-95 (BuNo 160379 - 160414) – small angle of attack probe added to nose radome, automated maneuvering flaps
  • F-14A-100 (BuNo 160652 - 160696), F-14A-105 (BuNo 160887 - 160937) – slip clutch and coupler installation added to the flap/slat system, fuel system improvements, improved AN/AWG-9, anti-corrosion measures (i.e. seals, baffles, drain plugs)
  • F-14A-110 (BuNo 161138 - 161168), F-14A-115 (BuNo 161270 - 161299) – AN/ALQ antenna added to the beaver tail and above and below wing gloves
  • F-14A-120 (BuNo 161416 - 161445), F-14A-125 (BuNo 161597 - 161626), F-14A-130 (BuNo 161850 - 161873), F-14A-135 (BuNo 162588 - 162611) – ECM blisters under glove vanes and on the tip of the beavertail
  • F-14A-140 (BuNo 162688 - 162711) – TCS chin pod with ALQ-100 antenna

F-14B Edit

 
Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals of the GE F110 engine

The F-14 received its first of many major upgrades in March 1987 with the F-14A Plus (or F-14A+). The F-14A's TF30 engine was replaced with the improved F110-GE-400 engine. The F-14A+ also received the state-of-the-art ALR-67 Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) system. Many of the avionics components, as well as the AWG-9 radar, were retained. The F-14A+ was later redesignated F-14B on 1 May 1991. A total of 38 new aircraft were manufactured and 43 F-14A were upgraded into B variants.[122][28] In the late 1990s, 81 F-14Bs were upgraded to extend airframe life and improve offensive and defensive avionics systems. The modified aircraft became known as F-14B (Upgrade).[123]

F-14D Edit

 
An upgraded F-14D(R) Tomcat with the ROVER transmit antenna circled with USS Theodore Roosevelt in the background

The final variant of the F-14 was the F-14D Super Tomcat, first delivered in 1991. As with the F-14B, the F-14D was equipped with the F110-GE-400 engines. It also included newer digital avionics systems including a glass cockpit and replaced the AWG-9 with the newer AN/APG-71 radar. Other systems included the Airborne Self Protection Jammer (ASPJ), Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), SJU-17(V) Naval Aircrew Common Ejection Seats (NACES), and Infrared search and track (IRST).[124] A total of 37 new aircraft were completed, and 18 F-14A models were upgraded to D-models, designated F-14D(R) for a rebuild. Starting in 2005, some F-14Ds received the ROVER III upgrade.[citation needed]

Projected variants Edit

 
A prototype F-14B test aircraft with F401 engines installed

When the F-14 was still in development, Grumman had planned an upgrade path for the Tomcat's propulsion and avionics. The first F-14B was to be an improved version of the F-14A with more powerful "Advanced Technology Engine" Pratt & Whitney F401 turbofans; the F-14B prototype equipped with the F401 first flew in 1973. The F-14C was a projected variant of this initial F-14B with advanced multi-mission avionics.[125] Grumman also offered an interceptor version of the F-14B in response to the U.S. Air Force's Improved Manned Interceptor Program as one of the contenders to replace the Convair F-106 Delta Dart as an Aerospace Defense Command interceptor in the 1970s. The F-14 ADC interceptor variant was to be armed with a GAU-7/A 25mm caseless cannon and powered by F100 turbofans.[126] The F-14B program was terminated in April 1974. The actual F-14B and D upgrades that went into service did somewhat follow the initially projected B and C upgrade path in practice, although it was much more delayed and with fewer airframes.[127]

 
Grumman's proposed F-14 ADC Interceptor for USAF Aerospace Defense Command in 1972 with the simulated "Buzz Code" and Aerospace Defense Command livery and emblem on the tail

In the early 1990s, Grumman proposed a few improved Super Tomcat versions. The first was the Quickstrike, which would have been an F-14D with navigational and targeting pods, additional attach points for weapons, and added ground attack capabilities to its radar, turning the Tomcat into a multirole strike fighter. The Quickstrike was to fill the role of the A-6 Intruder after it was retired. This was not considered enough of an improvement by Congress, so the company shifted to the Super Tomcat 21 (ST-21) proposed design. The ST-21 was a proposed lower cost alternative to the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), and would mostly have the same shape and body as the Tomcat, and an upgraded AN/APG-71 radar. The improved General Electric F110-GE-429 engines[N 3] were to provide a supercruise speed of Mach 1.3 and featured thrust vectoring nozzles. The version would have reshaped leading-edge gloves, increased fuel capacity and modified control surfaces for improved takeoffs and lower landing approach speed. The Attack Super Tomcat 21 (AST-21) version was the last proposed Super Tomcat design, and was meant to be a more attack-oriented version of the ST-21 with possibly an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar from the canceled A-12 attack aircraft. The (A)ST-21 was to be able to be rebuilt from existing F-14 airframes.[128][129]

The last "Tomcat" variant was the ASF-14 (Advanced Strike Fighter-14), Grumman's replacement for the NATF concept. By all accounts, it would not be even remotely related to the previous Tomcats save in appearance, incorporating the new technology and design know-how from the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) and Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA) programs. The ASF-14 would have been a new-build aircraft with considerably greater development costs; however, its projected capabilities were not that much better than that of the (A)ST-21 variants.[128] In the end, the proposed Super Tomcat variants were considered to be too costly and also faced stiff political opposition from the Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. The Navy decided to pursue the cheaper F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to fill the fighter-attack, or strike fighter role.[128]

Operators Edit

 
F-14 Tomcat operators as of 2014 (former operators in red)
 
An IRIAF F-14 Tomcat landing at Mehrabad, Iran
 
F-14A Tomcat of NFWS (TOPGUN) NAS Miramar c. 1993
 
Front view of an F-14A at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan, 2003
 
F-14A BuNo 162689 at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, 2009
  Iran
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
    • 72nd TFS: F-14A, 1976–1985
    • 73rd TFS: F-14A, 1977–1985
    • 81st TFS: F-14A, 1977–present
    • 82nd TFS: F-14A, 1978–present
    • 83rd TFS: F-14A, renamed former 62nd TFS[130]

Former operators Edit

  Pahlavi Iran
  • Imperial Iranian Air Force
    • 72nd TFS: F-14A, 1976–1979
    • 73rd TFS: F-14A, 1977–1979
    • 81st TFS: F-14A, 1977–1979
    • 82nd TFS: F-14A, 1978–1979
    • 83rd Tomcat Flight School: F-14A, 1978–1979
  United States
  • United States Navy operated F-14 from 1974 to 2006
    • Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) (Merged with Strike University (Strike U) to form Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) 1996)
      • VF-126 Bandits (Disestablished 1 April 1994)
    • VF-1 Wolfpack (Disestablished 30 September 1993)
    • VF-2 Bounty Hunters (Pacific Fleet through 1996, Atlantic Fleet 1996–2003, Pacific Fleet 2003–present; redesignated VFA-2 with F/A-18F, 1 July 2003)
    • VF-11 Red Rippers (Redesignated to VFA-11 with F/A-18F, May 2005)
    • VF-14 Tophatters (Redesignated VFA-14 with F/A-18E, 1 December 2001, and transferred to Pacific Fleet, 2002)
    • VF-21 Freelancers (Disestablished 31 January 1996)
    • VF-24 Fighting Renegades (Disestablished 20 August 1996)
    • VF-31 Tomcatters (Redesignated VFA-31 with F/A-18E, October 2006)
    • VF-32 Swordsmen (Redesignated VFA-32 with F/A-18F, 1 October 2005)
    • VF-33 Starfighters (Disestablished 1 October 1993)
    • VF-41 Black Aces (Redesignated VFA-41 with F/A-18F, 1 December 2001)
    • VF-51 Screaming Eagles (Disestablished 31 March 1995)
    • VF-74 Bedevilers (Disestablished 30 April 1994)
    • VF-84 Jolly Rogers (Disestablished 1 October 1995; squadron heritage and nickname transferred to VF-103)
    • VF-102 Diamondbacks (Redesignated VFA-102 with F/A-18F, 1 May 2002, and transferred to Pacific Fleet)
    • VF-103 Sluggers/Jolly Rogers (Redesignated VFA-103 with F/A-18F, 1 May 2005)
    • VF-111 Sundowners (Disestablished 31 March 1995; squadron heritage and nickname adopted by VFC-111)
    • VF-114 Aardvarks (Disestablished 30 April 1993)
    • VF-142 Ghostriders (Disestablished 30 April 1995)
    • VF-143 Pukin' Dogs (Redesignated VFA-143 with F/A-18E, early 2005)
    • VF-154 Black Knights (Redesignated VFA-154 with F/A-18F, 1 October 2003)
    • VF-191 Satan's Kittens (Disestablished 30 April 1988)
    • VF-194 Red Lightnings (Disestablished 30 April 1988)
    • VF-211 Fighting Checkmates (Pacific Fleet through 1996, then transferred to Atlantic Fleet; redesignated VFA-211 with F/A-18F, 1 October 2004)
    • VF-213 Black Lions (Pacific Fleet through 1996, then transferred to Atlantic Fleet; redesignated VFA-213 with F/A-18F, May 2006)
  • Naval Air Systems Command Test and Evaluation Squadrons
    • VX-4 Evaluators (Disestablished 30 September 1994 and merged into VX-5 to form VX-9)
    • VX-9 Vampires (Currently operates F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-18G, F-35C, EA-6B, AV-8B, AH-1 and UH-1)
    • VX-23 Salty Dogs (Currently operates F/A-18A+/B/C/D/E/F, EA-6B, EA-18G, F-35C and T-45)
    • VX-30 Bloodhounds (Currently operates P-3, C-130, S-3)
  • Fleet Replacement Squadrons
    • VF-101 Grim Reapers; Atlantic Fleet, then sole single-site, F-14 FRS (Disestablished 15 September 2005; squadron heritage and nickname adopted by VFA-101, an F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron established in May 2012. VFA-101 itself would be disestablished 23 May 2019)[131][132]
    • VF-124 Gunfighters; Pacific Fleet F-14 FRS
      • (Disestablished 30 September 1994)
  • Naval Air Force Reserve Squadrons
    • VF-201 Hunters (Redesignated VFA-201 and reequipped with F/A-18A+ on 1 January 1999; disestablished 30 June 2007)
    • VF-202 Superheats (Disestablished 31 December 1994)
    • VF-301 Devil's Disciples (Disestablished 11 September 1994)
    • VF-302 Stallions (Disestablished 11 September 1994)
  • Naval Air Force Reserve Squadron Augmentation Units (SAUs)
    • VF-1285 Fighting Fubijars (Disestablished September 1994); augmented VF-301 and VF-302
    • VF-1485 Americans (Disestablished September 1994); augmented VF-124
    • VF-1486 Fighting Hobos (Disestablished September 2005); augmented VF-101
  • NASA operated a single F-14 #834 at Dryden Flight Research Center in 1986 and 1987 in a program known as the Variable-Sweep Transition Flight Experiment (VSTFE). This program explored laminar flow on variable sweep aircraft at high subsonic speeds.[133]

Aircraft on display Edit

 
An F-14A on display at Grumman Memorial Park in New York
 
F-14A BuNo 160661 on display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville, Alabama, 2009
 
YF-14A at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
 
F-14D at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
 
F-14A of VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" at the Museum of Flight

Notable F-14s preserved at museums and military installations include:

Bureau Number (BuNo) – Model – Location – Significance
F-14A
 
F-14 Tomcat at the Texas Air Museum in Slaton, Texas
F-14B
F-14D(R)
F-14D
NF-14D

Specifications (F-14D) Edit

 
Grumman F-14 Tomcat drawings
 
F-14A of VF 111 "Sundowners" (USS Carl Vinson)
 
F-14B from the VF-211 Fighting Checkmates carrying six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles

Data from U.S. Navy file,[1] Spick,[47] Flight International March 1985[216]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (pilot and radar intercept officer)
  • Length: 62 ft 9 in (19.13 m)
  • Wingspan: 64 ft 1.5 in (19.545 m)
  • Swept wingspan: 38 ft 2.5 in (11.646 m) swept
  • Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
  • Wing area: 565 sq ft (52.5 m2) wings only
    • 1,008 sq ft (94 m2) effective area including fuselage[41]
  • Airfoil:
    • Grumman (1.74)(35)(9.6)-(1.1)(30)(1.1) root
    • Grumman (1.27)(30)(9.0)-(1.1)(40)(1.1) tip[217]
  • Empty weight: 43,735 lb (19,838 kg)
  • Gross weight: 61,000 lb (27,669 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 74,350 lb (33,725 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 16,200 lb (7,348 kg) internal fuel; 2 × optional 267 US gal (222 imp gal; 1,010 L) / 1,756 lb (797 kg) external tanks[47]
  • Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F110-GE-400 afterburning turbofans, 16,333 lbf (72.65 kN) thrust each dry, 26,950 lbf (119.9 kN) with afterburner[N 4]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: Mach 2.34 (1,544 mph, 2,485 km/h) at altitude
  • Range: 1,600 nmi (1,800 mi, 3,000 km)
  • Combat range: 500 nmi (580 mi, 930 km)
  • Service ceiling: 53,000 ft (16,000 m) plus
  • g limits: +7.5 g (+6.5 g operational limit)[N 5]
  • Rate of climb: 45,000 ft/min (230 m/s) plus
  • Wing loading: 96 lb/sq ft (470 kg/m2)
    • 48 lb/sq ft (230 kg/m2) effective[41]
  • Thrust/weight: 0.88 at gross weight (1.02 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)
  • Takeoff roll: 2,500 ft (760 m)
  • Landing roll: 2,400 ft (730 m)

Armament

Avionics

Edit

 
Tomcat logo

The Tomcat logo design came when Grumman's Director of Presentation Services, Dick Milligan, and one of his artists, Grumman employee Jim Rodriguez, were asked for a logo by Grumman's Director of Business Development and former Blue Angels No. 5 pilot, Norm Gandia.[220] Per Rodriguez, "He asked me to draw a lifelike Tomcat wearing boxing gloves and trunks sporting a six-shooter on his left side; where the guns are located on the F-14, along with two tails." The Cat was drawn up after a tabby cat was sourced and used for photographs, and named "Tom". The logo has gone through many variations, including one for the then–Imperial Iranian Air Force F-14, called "Ali-cat". The accompanying slogan "Anytime Baby!" was developed by Norm Gandia as a challenge to the U.S. Air Force's McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.[220][221]

Notable appearances in media Edit

Main article: Aircraft in fiction § F-14 Tomcat

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was central to the 1986 film Top Gun.[222][223][224] The aviation-themed film was such a success in creating interest in naval aviation that the US Navy, which assisted with the film, set up recruitment desks outside some theaters.[225] Producers paid the US Navy $886,000 (equivalent to $2,411,000 in 2022) as reimbursement for flight time of aircraft in the film with an F-14 billed at $7,600 (equivalent to $20,700 in 2022) per flight hour.[226][227] The F-14 Tomcat was also featured in its 2022 sequel.[228] Two F-14As of VF-84 from USS Nimitz were featured in the 1980 film The Final Countdown,[229] with four from the squadron in the 1996 release Executive Decision.[230] Multiple F-14s are featured in the 2008 documentary Speed & Angels, featuring the story of two young Navy officers working to achieve their dream of becoming F-14 fighter pilots.[231] The F-14 served as an inspiration for various fictional aircraft, most notably the Macross franchise's VF-1 Valkyrie and the Skystriker XP-14F from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline.[232] Actual F-14s were featured in the first episode of Macross Zero, the OVA prequel to Super Dimension Fortress Macross (adapted as Robotech in the US).

See also Edit

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References Edit

Notes Edit

  1. ^ Admiral Thomas F. Connolly wrote the chapter, "The TFX – One Fighter For All".[13]
  2. ^ The F-14's maximum speed is limited by the scheduling of the inlet ramps, and the inlet ramp programming for the F110 was optimized more for transonic performance; at higher speeds, the installed dynamic thrust of the TF30 actually exceeds the F110's.
  3. ^ The F110-GE-429 is the designation of the proposed Navy version of the F110-GE-129.
  4. ^ These figures are static, sea-level uninstalled thrust. Static, sea-level installed thrust is 13,800 lbf (61 kN) at military power and 23,600 lbf (105 kN) in full afterburner. At Mach 0.9 at sea-level, installed thrust is 30,200 lbf (134 kN) in full afterburner.[51]
  5. ^ The g limit was operationally limited by the U.S. Navy to +6.5 g to increase service life.
  6. ^ The hardpoints between nacelles include two on centerline plus four others next to nacelles. Points between nacelles can only carry a maximum of four missiles at one time. Each wing glove can carry one large pylon for larger missiles, with one rail on the outboard side of the pylon for a Sidewinder.
  7. ^ Loading configurations:
    • 2× AIM-9 + 6× AIM-54 (Rarely used due to weight stress on airframe)
    • 2× AIM-9 + 2× AIM-54 + 3× AIM-7 (Most common load during Cold War era)
    • 2× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-54 + 2× AIM-7
    • 2× AIM-9 + 6× AIM-7
    • 4× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-54
    • 4× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-7

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External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
F-14 Tomcat (category)
  • and
  • Joe Baugher's Website on Grumman F-14 Tomcat
  • A music video by F-14 pilot from VF-31 while tanking for the last time with a KC-135, titled "Boom Operator" on YouTube, recorded 7 February 2006.

October 13, 2023
grumman, tomcat, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, american, carrier, capable, supersonic, twin, engine, seat, twin, tail, weather, capable, variable, sweep, wing, fighter, aircraft, tomcat, developed, united, states, navy, naval, fighter, experime. F14 redirects here For other uses see F14 disambiguation The Grumman F 14 Tomcat is an American carrier capable supersonic twin engine two seat twin tail all weather capable variable sweep wing fighter aircraft The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy s Naval Fighter Experimental VFX program after the collapse of the General Dynamics Grumman F 111B project A large and well equipped fighter the F 14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War F 14 TomcatA U S Navy F 14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf region in 2005 Role Interceptor air superiority and multirole fighterNational origin United StatesManufacturer GrummanFirst flight 21 December 1970Introduction 22 September 1974Retired 22 September 2006 United States Navy Status In service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air ForcePrimary users United States Navy historical Imperial Iranian Air Force historical Islamic Republic of Iran Air ForceProduced 1969 1991Number built 712The F 14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U S Navy aboard USS Enterprise CVN 65 replacing the McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II The F 14 served as the U S Navy s primary maritime air superiority fighter fleet defense interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 2000s The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night LANTIRN pod system was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began performing precision ground attack missions 1 The Tomcat was retired by U S Navy on 22 September 2006 supplanted by the Boeing F A 18E F Super Hornet Several retired F 14s have been put on display across the US Having been exported to Pahlavi Iran under the pro American Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1976 F 14s were used as land based interceptors by the Imperial Iranian Air Force Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979 the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force used them during the Iran Iraq War Iran claimed their F 14s shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war only 55 of these confirmed according to historian Tom Cooper 2 while 16 Tomcats were lost including seven losses to accidents 2 3 As of 2022 the F 14 remains in service with Iran s air force though in low numbers of combat ready aircraft due to a lack of spare parts Contents 1 Development 1 1 Background 1 2 VFX 1 3 F 14 1 4 Improvements and changes 1 5 Ground attack upgrades 1 6 Production termination 2 Design 2 1 Variable geometry wings and aerodynamic design 2 2 Engines 2 3 Avionics and flight controls 2 4 Armament 3 Operational history 3 1 United States 3 2 Iran 4 Variants 4 1 F 14A 4 2 F 14B 4 3 F 14D 4 4 Projected variants 5 Operators 5 1 Former operators 6 Aircraft on display 7 Specifications F 14D 8 Tomcat logo 9 Notable appearances in media 10 See also 11 References 11 1 Notes 11 2 Citations 11 3 Bibliography 12 External linksDevelopment EditBackground Edit nbsp The F 111B was designed to fulfill the carrier based interceptor role but had weight and performance problems and was not suited to the types of aerial combat that were predominant over Vietnam Beginning in the late 1950s the U S Navy sought a long range high endurance interceptor to defend its carrier battle groups against long range anti ship missiles launched from the jet bombers and submarines of the Soviet Union They outlined the idea of a Fleet Air Defense FAD aircraft with a more powerful radar and longer range missiles than the F 4 Phantom II to intercept both enemy bombers and missiles at very long range 4 Studies into this concept led to the Douglas F6D Missileer project of 1959 but this large subsonic aircraft appeared to have little ability to defend itself once it fired its missiles and the project was cancelled in December 1961 5 The Navy still sought long range defensive aircraft but with higher performance than the Missileer The Navy was directed to participate in the Tactical Fighter Experimental TFX program with the U S Air Force USAF by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who favored versatile aircraft that could be shared by both services reducing procurement and development costs To this end he had already directed the USAF to buy the F 4 Phantom II which was developed for the Navy and could serve both as a fighter bomber and an interceptor aircraft instead of buying more F 105 Thunderchief and F 106 Delta Dart aircraft to fill each respective role 6 The TFX had adequate speed range and payload for the FAD role but was designed primarily as a fighter bomber and interdictor that lacked the maneuverability and overall performance that the Navy expected The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX as it feared compromises necessary for the Air Force s need for a low level attack aircraft would adversely impact the aircraft s performance as a fighter Their concerns were overridden and the project went ahead as the F 111B Lacking recent experience in naval fighters the F 111 s main contractor General Dynamics partnered with Grumman to provide the experience needed to develop a naval version Weight and performance issues plagued the program and with the F 111B in distress Grumman began studying improvements and alternatives In 1966 the Navy awarded Grumman a contract to begin studying advanced fighter designs Grumman narrowed down these designs to its 303 design 7 The name Tomcat was partially chosen to pay tribute to Admiral Thomas F Connolly as the nickname Tom s Cat had already been widely used within the program during development to reflect Connolly s involvement and now the moniker was adapted into an official name in line with the Grumman tradition of giving its fighter aircraft feline names Changing it to Tomcat associated the aircraft with the previous Grumman aircraft Wildcat Hellcat Tigercat and Bearcat propeller fighters along with the Panther Cougar and Tiger jet fighters Other names considered were Alley Cat considered inappropriate due to sexual connotations and Seacat 8 9 VFX Edit Through this same period experience in Vietnam against the more agile MiG fighters demonstrated that the Phantom lacked the maneuverability needed to win in any engagement This led to the VFAX program to study new fighter aircraft that would either replace or supplant the Phantom in the fighter and ground attack roles while the TFX worked the long range interception role 10 Grumman continued work on its 303 design and offered it to the Navy in 1967 which led to fighter studies by the Navy The company continued to refine the design into 1968 7 Around this time Vice Admiral Thomas F Connolly Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare flew the developmental F 111A variant on a flight and discovered that it had difficulty going supersonic and had poor carrier landing characteristics He later testified before Congress about his concerns against the official Navy position and in May 1968 Congress stopped funding for the F 111B allowing the Navy to pursue an answer tailored to its requirements 11 Free to choose their solution to the FAD requirement VFAX ended in favor of a new design that would combine the two roles In July 1968 the Naval Air Systems Command NAVAIR issued a request for proposals RFP for the Naval Fighter Experimental VFX program VFX called for a tandem two seat twin engined air to air fighter with a maximum speed of Mach 2 2 12 It would also have a built in 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon and a secondary close air support role 13 The VFX s air to air missiles would be either six AIM 54 Phoenix or a combination of six AIM 7 Sparrow and four AIM 9 Sidewinder missiles Bids were received from General Dynamics Grumman Ling Temco Vought McDonnell Douglas and North American Rockwell 14 four bids incorporated variable geometry wings 13 N 1 F 14 Edit nbsp Grumman s VFX entry was designed around the TF30 engine AWG 9 radar and AIM 54 missile intended for the F 111B this eventually became the F 14A McDonnell Douglas and Grumman were selected as finalists in December 1968 Grumman was selected for the contract award in January 1969 15 Grumman s design reused the TF30 engines from the F 111B though the Navy planned on replacing them with the Pratt amp Whitney F401 400 engines under development for the Navy along with the related Pratt amp Whitney F100 for the USAF 16 Though lighter than the F 111B it was still the largest and heaviest U S fighter to fly from an aircraft carrier a consequence of the requirement to carry the large AWG 9 radar and AIM 54 Phoenix missiles from the F 111B and an internal fuel load of 16 000 lb 7 300 kg 17 Upon winning the contract for the F 14 Grumman greatly expanded its Calverton Long Island New York facility for evaluating the aircraft Much of the testing including the first of many compressor stalls and multiple ejections took place over Long Island Sound To save time and avoid cancellation by the new presidential administration the Navy skipped the prototype phase and jumped directly to full scale development the Air Force took a similar approach with its McDonnell Douglas F 15 Eagle 18 The F 14 first flew on 21 December 1970 just 22 months after Grumman was awarded the contract and reached initial operational capability IOC in 1973 The United States Marine Corps was initially interested in the F 14 as an F 4 Phantom II replacement going so far as to send officers to Fighter Squadron One Twenty Four VF 124 to train as instructors The Marine Corps pulled out of any procurement when the development of the stores management system for ground attack munitions was not pursued An air to ground capability was not developed until the 1990s 18 Firing trials involved launches against simulated targets of various types from cruise missiles to high flying bombers AIM 54 Phoenix missile testing from the F 14 began in April 1972 The longest single Phoenix launch was successful against a target at a range of 110 nmi 200 km in April 1973 Another unusual test was made on 22 November 1973 when six missiles were fired within 38 seconds at Mach 0 78 and 24 800 ft 7 600 m four scored direct hits one broke the lock and missed and one was declared no test after the radar signature augmentation in the target drone which increased the apparent radar signature of the tiny drone to the size of a MiG 21 failed causing the missile to break track This gave a tested success rate of 80 since effectively only 5 missiles were tested This was the most expensive single test of air to air missiles ever performed at that time 19 Improvements and changes Edit Throughout production the F 14 underwent significant upgrades in missile armament especially with the move to full solid state electronics primarily allowing for better Electronic counter countermeasures ECCM and more space for the rocket motor The AIM 54A Phoenix active radar air to air missile was upgraded with the AIM 54B 1983 limited use and AIM 54C 1986 versions 20 The initial AIM 7E 4 21 Sparrow semi active radar homing was upgraded to the AIM 7F in 1976 and the M variant in 1982 22 The heat seeking missile armament was upgraded from the AIM 9J H to the joint Air Force Navy missile the AIM 9L in 1979 and then the AIM 9M in 1982 23 The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System TARPS was developed in the late 1970s for the F 14 Approximately 65 F 14As and all F 14Ds were modified to carry the pod 24 TARPS was primarily controlled by the Radar Intercept Officer RIO via an extra display for observing reconnaissance data The TARPS Digital TARPS DI was a 1996 upgrade featuring a digital camera The digital camera was further updated beginning in 1998 with the TARPS Completely Digital TARPS CD configuration that also provided real time transmission of imagery 25 In 1984 plans were announced to replace the existing TF 30 engines of the Tomcat with General Electric F110 GE 400 turbofans 26 An initial interim version just replaced the TF 30 with the new engine retaining the original avionics These aircraft were designated F 14A which was changed to F 14B in May 1991 38 F 14A s were newly built with a further 43 converted from F 14As 27 28 The F 14D variant was developed at the same time it included the F110 engines with newer digital avionics systems such as a glass cockpit and compatibility with the Link 16 secure datalink 29 The Digital Flight Control System DFCS notably improved the F 14 s handling qualities when flying at a high angle of attack or in air combat maneuvering citation needed nbsp VFA 143 Pukin Dogs F 14B in the foreground and F A 18E Super Hornet in 2005While the F 14 had been developed as a lightweight alternative to the 80 000 lb 36 000 kg F 111B the F 14 was still the heaviest and most expensive fighter of its time VFAX was revived in the 1970s as a lower cost solution to replacing the Navy and Marine Corps s fleets of F 4s and A 7s VFAX was directed to review the fighters in the USAF Light Weight Fighter competition which led to the development of the F A 18 Hornet as roughly a midsize fighter and attack aircraft In 1994 Congress rejected Grumman proposals to the Navy to upgrade the Tomcat beyond the D model such as the Super Tomcat 21 the cheaper QuickStrike version and the more advanced Attack Super Tomcat 21 30 Ground attack upgrades Edit nbsp An F 14D launching an AIM 7 Sparrow a GBU 10 Paveway II is also carried In the 1990s with the pending retirement of the Grumman A 6 Intruder the F 14 air to ground program was resurrected Trials with live bombs had been carried out in the 1980s the F 14 was cleared to use basic iron bombs in 1992 During Operation Desert Storm of the Gulf War most air to ground missions were left to LTV A 7 Corsair II A 6 Intruder and McDonnell Douglas F A 18 Hornet squadrons while the F 14s focused on air defense operations Following Desert Storm F 14As and F 14Bs underwent upgrades to avionics and cockpit displays to enable the use of precision munitions enhance defensive systems and apply structural improvements The new avionics were comparable with the F 14D these upgraded aircraft were designated F 14A Upgrade and F 14B Upgrade respectively 24 By 1994 Grumman and the Navy were proposing ambitious plans for Tomcat upgrades to plug the gap between the retirement of the A 6 and the F A 18E F Super Hornet entering service However the upgrades would have taken too long to implement to meet the gap and were priced in the billions The U S Congress considered this too expensive for an interim solution 24 A quick inexpensive upgrade using the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night LANTIRN targeting pod was devised The LANTIRN pod provided the F 14 with a forward looking infrared FLIR camera for night operations and a laser target designator to direct laser guided bombs LGB 31 Although LANTIRN is traditionally a two pod system an AN AAQ 13 navigation pod with terrain following radar and a wide angle FLIR along with an AN AAQ 14 targeting pod with a steerable FLIR and a laser target designator the decision was made to only use the targeting pod The Tomcat s LANTIRN pod was altered and improved over the baseline configuration such as a Global Positioning System Inertial Navigation System GPS INS capability to allow an F 14 to accurately locate itself The pod was carried on the right wing glove pylon 31 nbsp An F 14D R from VF 213 flying over Iraq on the last Tomcat deployment with a LANTIRN pod on the starboard wing glove station and a laser guided bomb underneath the fuselageThe LANTIRN pod did not require changes to the F 14 s own system software but the pod was designed to operate on a MIL STD 1553B bus not present on the F 14A or B Consequently Martin Marietta specially developed an interface card for LANTIRN The Radar Intercept Officer RIO would receive pod imagery on a 10 inch Programmable Tactical Information Display PTID or another Multi Function Display in the F 14 citation needed rear cockpit and guided LGBs using a new hand controller installed on the right side console Initially the hand controller replaced the RIO s TARPS control panel meaning a Tomcat configured for LANTIRN could not carry TARPS and the reverse but eventually a workaround was later developed to allow a Tomcat to carry LANTIRN or TARPS as needed 31 An upgraded LANTIRN named LANTIRN 40K for operations up to 40 000 ft 12 000 m was introduced in 2001 followed by Tomcat Tactical Targeting T3 and Fast Tactical Imagery FTI to provide precise target coordinate determination and ability to transmit images in flight 1 Tomcats also added the ability to carry the GBU 38 Joint Direct Attack Munition JDAM in 2003 giving it the option of a variety of LGB and GPS guided weapons 32 Some F 14Ds were upgraded in 2005 with a ROVER III Full Motion Video FMV downlink a system that transmits real time images from the aircraft s sensors to the laptop of a forward air controller FAC on the ground 33 Production termination Edit Although the F 14D was to be the definitive version of the Tomcat not all fleet units received the D variant In 1989 Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney refused to approve the purchase of any more F 14D model aircraft stopping production after 37 F 14Ds had been built although 18 more were produced by conversion of F 14As giving a total of 55 F 14Ds 34 An upgrade to the F 14D s computer software to allow AIM 120 AMRAAM missile capability was planned but was later terminated to free up funding for LANTIRN integration 24 While upgrades kept the F 14 competitive with other teen series fighters Cheney stated that the F 14 was 1960s technology Despite an appeal from the Secretary of the Navy for at least 132 F 14Ds and some aggressive proposals from Grumman for a replacement 35 Cheney planned to replace the F 14 with a fighter that was not manufactured by Grumman According to Cheney the F 14 was a jobs program and when the F 14 was canceled an estimated 80 000 jobs of Grumman employees subcontractors or support personnel were affected 36 Cheney s cancellation of the F 14D and A 6F was controversial and contributed heavily to Grumman s decline and resulting acquisition by Northrop Corporation to form Northrop Grumman 37 Design Edit source source source source F 14 Tomcat flight demonstration videoThe F 14 Tomcat was designed as both an air superiority fighter and a long range naval interceptor 38 39 40 which enabled it to both serve as escort attack aircraft when armed with Sparrow missiles and fleet air defense loitering interceptor role when armed with Phoenix missiles 41 The F 14 was designed with a two seat cockpit with a bubble canopy which affords all around visibility aiding aircrew in air to air combat It features variable geometry wings that swing automatically during flight For high speed intercept they are swept back and they swing forward for lower speed flight 42 It was designed to improve on the F 4 Phantom s air combat performance in most respects 38 The F 14 s fuselage and wings allow it to climb faster than the F 4 while the twin tail empennage dual vertical stabilizers with ventral fins on the engine nacelles offers better stability The F 14 is equipped with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon mounted on the left side unlike the Phantom which was not equipped with an internal gun in the US Navy and can carry AIM 54 Phoenix AIM 7 Sparrow and AIM 9 Sidewinder anti aircraft missiles The twin engines are housed in widely spaced nacelles The flat area of the fuselage between the nacelles is used to contain fuel and avionics systems such as the wing sweep mechanism and flight controls as well as weaponry since the wings are not used for carrying ordnance 42 By itself the fuselage provides approximately 40 to 60 percent of the F 14 s aerodynamic lifting surface depending on the wing sweep position citation needed The lifting body characteristics of the fuselage allowed one F 14 to safely land after suffering a mid air collision that sheared off more than half of the plane s right wing in 1991 43 The landing gear is very robust in order to withstand catapult launches takeoffs and recoveries landings needed for carrier operations It comprises a double nosewheel and widely spaced single main wheels There are no hardpoints on the sweeping parts of the wings and so all the armament is fitted on the belly between the air intake ramps and on pylons under the wing gloves Internal fuel capacity is 2 400 US gal 9 100 L 290 US gal 1 100 L in each wing 690 US gal 2 600 L in a series of tanks aft of the cockpit and a further 457 US gal 1 730 L in two feeder tanks It can carry two 267 US gal 1 010 L external drop tanks under the engine intake ramps 42 There is also an air to air refueling probe which folds into the starboard nose citation needed Variable geometry wings and aerodynamic design Edit nbsp F 14 Tomcat with wings in asymmetric sweep during testing for this possible in flight malfunctionThe F 14 s wing sweep can be varied between 20 and 68 in flight 44 and can be automatically controlled by its Central Air Data Computer CADC which maintains wing sweep at the optimum lift to drag ratio as the Mach number varies pilots can manually override the system if desired 42 When parked the wings can be overswept to 75 to overlap the horizontal stabilizers to save deck space aboard carriers In an emergency the F 14 can land with the wings fully swept to 68 42 although this presents a significant safety hazard due to greatly increased stall speed Such an aircraft would typically be diverted from an aircraft carrier to a land base if an incident did occur The F 14 has flown safely with an asymmetrical wing sweep during testing and was deemed able to land aboard a carrier if needed in an emergency 45 The wing pivot points are significantly spaced far apart This has two benefits The first is that weaponry can be fitted on a pylon on the fixed wing glove liberating the wings from having swiveling pylons fitted a feature which had proven to add significant drag on the F 111B 41 Since less of the total lifting area is variable the center of lift moves less as the wings move reducing trim drag at high speed 41 When the wing is swept back its thickness to chord ratio decreases which allows the aircraft to satisfy the Mach 2 4 top speed required by the U S Navy 41 The body of the aircraft contributes significantly to overall lift and so the Tomcat possesses a lower wing loading than its wing area would suggest When carrying four Phoenix missiles or other heavy stores between the engines this advantage is lost and maneuverability is reduced in those configurations 41 nbsp Rear view of the F 14 showing the area between the engine nacellesAilerons are not fitted with roll control being provided by wing mounted spoilers at low speed which are disabled if the sweep angle exceeds 57 and by differential operation of the all moving tailerons at high speed 42 Full span slats and flaps are used to increase lift both for landing and combat with slats being set at 17 for landing and 7 for combat while flaps are set at 35 for landing and 10 for combat 42 An air bag fills up the space occupied by the swept back wing when the wing is in the forward position and a flexible fairing on top of the wing smooths out the shape transition between the fuselage and top wing area 41 The twin tail layout helps in maneuvers at high angle of attack AoA while reducing the height of the aircraft to fit within the limited roof clearance of hangars aboard aircraft carriers 42 The wings have a two spar structure with integral fuel tanks Around 25 of the structure is made of titanium including the wing box wing pivots and upper and lower wing skins 42 this is a light rigid and strong material Electron beam welding was used in the construction of the titanium parts The F 14 was designed for maneuver loads of 7 5 g but this was usually limited to 6 5 g in the fleet to extend the aircraft s service life 41 Two triangular shaped retractable surfaces called glove vanes were originally mounted in the forward part of the wing glove and could be automatically extended by the flight control system at high Mach numbers They were used to generate additional lift force ahead of the aircraft s center of gravity thus helping to compensate for mach tuck at supersonic speeds Automatically deployed at above Mach 1 4 they allowed the F 14 to pull 7 5 g at Mach 2 and could be manually extended with wings swept full aft They were later disabled however owing to their additional weight and complexity 42 The air brakes consist of top and bottom extendable surfaces at the rearmost portion of the fuselage between the engine nacelles The bottom surface is split into left and right halves the tailhook hangs between the two halves an arrangement sometimes called the castor tail 46 Engines Edit The F 14A was initially equipped with two Pratt amp Whitney TF30 P 412A or JTF10A augmented turbofan engines each rated at 20 900 lb 93 kN of static uninstalled thrust which enabled the aircraft to attain a maximum speed of Mach 2 34 47 The F 14 would normally fly at a cruising speed for reduced fuel consumption which was important for conducting lengthy patrol missions 48 The rectangular air inlets for the engines were equipped with movable ramps and bleed doors to meet the different airflow requirements of the engine from take off to maximum supersonic speed Variable nozzles were also fitted to the engine s exhaust Late production F 14A had the improved TF30 P 414A engines The Navy had originally planned to replace the TF30 with the Pratt amp Whitney F401 the naval variant of the F 15 s F100 engine but this plan was ultimately canceled due to costs and reliability problems 49 nbsp An F 14D prepares to refuel with probe extended The performance of the TF30 engine became an object of criticism John Lehman Secretary of the Navy in the 1980s told the U S Congress that the TF30 F 14 combination was probably the worst engine airframe mismatch we have had in years and that the TF30 was a terrible engine 44 46 28 of all F 14 accidents were attributed to the engine A high frequency of turbine blade failures led to the reinforcement of the entire engine bay to limit damage from such failures The engines also had proved to be extremely susceptible to compressor stalls especially at high AoA and during rapid throttle transients or above 30 000 ft 9 100 m which could easily result in loss of control severe yaw oscillations and could lead to an unrecoverable flat spin At specific altitudes exhaust produced by missile launches could cause an engine compressor stall This led to the development of a bleed system that temporarily blocks the frontal intake ramp and reduces engine power during missile launch citation needed The upgraded F 14A later redesignated F 14B and F 14D were equipped with the General Electric F110 GE 400 The F110 provided a significant increase in thrust with a static uninstalled thrust of 26 950 pounds force 120 kN installed thrust is 23 400 pounds force 104 kN with afterburner at sea level which rose to 30 200 lbf 134 kN at Mach 0 9 50 51 The increased thrust gave the Tomcat a better than 1 1 thrust to weight ratio at low fuel quantities and the rate of climb was increased by 61 The basic engine thrust without afterburner was powerful enough for carrier launches While this did result in fuel savings the main reason not to use afterburner during carrier launches was that if an engine failed the F110 s thrust in full afterburner would produce a yawing moment too abruptly for the pilot to correct Thus the launch of an F 14B or F 14D with afterburner was rare while the F 14A required full afterburner unless very lightly loaded The F110 was also more efficient allowing the Tomcat to cruise comfortably above 30 000 ft 9 100 m which increased its range and survivability as well as endurance for time on station In the overland attack role this gave the F 14B and F 14D 60 more striking range or one third more time on station 52 The F 14B arrived in time to participate in Desert Storm citation needed With the TF30 the F 14 s overall thrust to weight ratio at maximum takeoff weight is around 0 56 considerably less than the F 15A s ratio of 0 85 when fitted with the F110 engine an improved thrust to weight ratio of 0 73 at maximum weight and 0 88 at normal takeoff weight was achieved 47 Despite having large differences in static thrust the TF30 equipped F 14A and the F110 equipped F 14B and F 14D were rated at the same top speed N 2 53 54 In 1996 two F110 equipped Tomcat crashed after an afterburner failure In the second crash lighting the afterburner damaged the afterburner can s lining and led to an explosion The Navy prohibited the use of afterburner on the F 14A B D below 10 000 feet until GE could redesign the afterburners a process that took over a year to complete 55 Avionics and flight controls Edit The cockpit has two seats arranged in tandem outfitted with Martin Baker GRU 7A rocket propelled ejection seats rated from zero altitude and zero airspeed up to 450 knots 56 The canopy is spacious and fitted with four mirrors to effectively provide all round visibility Only the pilot has flight controls the flight instruments themselves are of a hybrid analog digital nature 42 The cockpit also features a head up display HUD to show primarily navigational information several other avionics systems such as communications and direction finders are integrated into the AWG 9 radar s display A feature of the F 14 is its Central Air Data Computer CADC designed by Garrett AiResearch that forms the onboard integrated flight control system It uses a MOSFET based Large Scale Integration chipset 57 nbsp F 14 with landing gear deployedThe aircraft s large nose contains a two person crew and several bulky avionics systems The main element is the Hughes AN AWG 9 X band radar the antenna is a 36 in 91 cm wide planar array and has integrated Identification friend or foe antennas The AWG 9 has several search and tracking modes such as Track while scan TWS Range While Search RWS Pulse Doppler Single Target Track PDSTT and Jam Angle Track JAT a maximum of 24 targets can be tracked simultaneously and six can be engaged in TWS mode up to around 60 mi 97 km Cruise missiles are also possible targets with the AWG 9 which can lock onto and track small objects even at low altitude when in Pulse Doppler mode 42 For the F 14D the AWG 9 was replaced by the upgraded APG 71 radar The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System JTIDS Link 16 for data communications was added later on 58 The F 14 also features electronic countermeasures ECM and radar warning receiver RWR systems chaff flare dispensers fighter to fighter data link and a precise inertial navigation system 42 The early navigation system was inertial based point of origin coordinates were programmed into a navigation computer and gyroscopes would track the aircraft s every motion to calculate distance and direction from that starting point Global Positioning System later was integrated to provide more precise navigation and redundancy in case either system failed The chaff flare dispensers are located on the underside of the fuselage and on the tail The F 14 was initially equipped with the AN ALR 45 50 RWR system while later production aircraft were equipped with the AN ALR 67 the RWR system consists of several antennas on the aircraft s fuselage which can roughly calculate both direction and distance of enemy radar users it can also differentiate between search radar tracking radar and missile homing radar 59 Featured in the sensor suite was the AN ALR 23 an infrared search and track IRST sensor using indium antimonide detectors mounted under the nose however the system was unreliable and was replaced by an optical system Northrop s AAX 1 also designated TCS TV Camera Set The AAX 1 helps pilots visually identify and track aircraft up to a range of 60 miles 97 km for large aircraft citation needed The radar and the AAX 1 are linked allowing the one detector to follow the direction of the other 60 A dual infrared optical detection system was adopted on the later F 14D with the new AN AAS 42 IRST and the TCS placed side by side 61 Armament Edit nbsp F 14 Tomcat carrying an AIM 120 AMRAAM during a 1982 testThe F 14 was designed to combat highly maneuverable aircraft as well as the Soviet anti ship cruise missile and bomber Tupolev Tu 16 Tupolev Tu 22 Tupolev Tu 22M threats 40 The Tomcat was to be a platform for the AIM 54 Phoenix but unlike the canceled F 111B it could also engage medium and short range threats with other weapons 38 40 The F 14 is an air superiority fighter not just a long range interceptor aircraft 40 Over 6 700 kg 14 800 lb of stores can be carried for combat missions on several hardpoints under the fuselage and under the wing gloves Commonly this means a maximum of four Phoenixes or Sparrows on the belly stations two Phoenixes Sparrows on the wing hardpoints and two Sidewinders on the wing glove hardpoints citation needed The F 14 is also fitted with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon The Tomcat could also support MK 80 MK 84 GBUs on its hardpoints While in this configuration it was known to pilots as a Bombcat citation needed Operationally the capability to hold up to six Phoenix missiles was never used although early testing was conducted there was never a threat requirement to engage six hostile targets simultaneously and the load was too heavy to safely recover aboard an aircraft carrier in the event that the missiles were not fired During the height of Cold War operations in the late 1970s and 1980s the typical weapon loadout on carrier deployed F 14s was usually two AIM 54 Phoenixes augmented by two AIM 9 Sidewinders three AIM 7 Sparrows a full loadout of 20 mm ammunition and two drop tanks citation needed The Phoenix missile was used twice in combat by the U S Navy both over Iraq in 1999 62 63 64 but the missiles did not score any kills citation needed According to retired RIO Dave Baranek the first two launch failures on January 5 1999 occurred when two F 14D Super Tomcats carrying AIM 54Cs fired two Phoenix missiles at a pair of MiG 23 jets The missiles rocket motors did not ignite because they were improperly armed prior to launch from the carrier 65 66 However as two F A 18s chased the two MiG 23s one MiG 23 ran out of fuel and crashed killing the pilot The US Navy did not claim a kill but Captain James T Knight commander of CVW 11 said Screw him a kill is a kill 67 On September 14 1999 an F 14D assigned to CVW 2 aboard the USS Constellation fired an AIM 54C missile at a MiG 23 at very long range The MiG 23 quickly tured and fled and was able to outrun the missile Lieutenant Commander Coby Coach Loessberg the Super Tomcat s pilot commented afterward that had the Tomcat been closer to the center of the envelope at optimal speed and altitude a kill would have been more likely 68 nbsp Two Iranian Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles c 1986 in the midst of a project to adapt I Hawk surface to air missiles for F 14s 69 Iran made use of the Phoenix system claiming dozens of kills with it during the 1980 1988 Iran Iraq War Due to the shortage of air to air missiles as a result of sanctions Iran tried to use other missiles on the Tomcat It attempted to integrate the Russian R 27R Alamo BVR missile but was apparently unsuccessful 70 In 1985 Iran started Project Sky Hawk attempting to adapt I Hawk surface to air missiles which Iran had in its inventory for F 14s The modified missiles were successfully tested in 1986 and one or two were used in combat but the project was abandoned due to guidance problems 69 Operational history EditMain article F 14 Tomcat operational history United States Edit nbsp An F 14A of VF 84 Jolly Rogers in a 1970s color scheme circa 1978The F 14 began replacing the F 4 Phantom II in U S Navy service starting in September 1974 with squadrons VF 1 Wolfpack and VF 2 Bounty Hunters aboard USS Enterprise and participated in the American withdrawal from Saigon The F 14 had its first kills in U S Navy service on 19 August 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra in what is known as the Gulf of Sidra incident In that engagement two F 14s from VF 41 Black Aces were engaged by two Libyan Su 22 Fitters The F 14s evaded the Libyan missile and returned fire downing both Libyan aircraft with AIM 9L Sidewinders 71 U S Navy F 14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on 4 January 1989 when two F 14s from VF 32 shot down two Libyan MiG 23 Floggers over the Gulf of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra incident 72 Its first sustained combat use was as a photo reconnaissance platform The Tomcat was selected to inherit the reconnaissance mission upon the departure of the dedicated North American RA 5C Vigilante and Vought RF 8G Crusaders from the fleet A large pod called the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System TARPS was developed and fielded on the Tomcat in 1981 With the retirement of the last RF 8G Crusaders in 1982 TARPS F 14s became the U S Navy s primary tactical reconnaissance system 73 One of two Tomcat squadrons per airwing was designated as a TARPS unit and received 3 TARPS capable aircraft 74 nbsp An F 14A from VF 114 intercepting a Soviet Tu 95RT Bear D maritime reconnaissance aircraftWhile the Tomcat was being used by Iran in combat against Iraq in its intended air superiority mission in the early 1980s the U S Navy found itself flying regular daily combat missions over Lebanon to photograph activity in the Bekaa Valley At the time the Tomcat had been thought too large and vulnerable to be used over land but the need for imagery was so great that Tomcat aircrews developed high speed medium altitude tactics to deal with considerable AAA and SA 7 SAM threat in the Bekaa area The first exposure of a Navy Tomcat to an SA 2 missile was over Somalia in April 1983 when a local battery was unaware of two Tomcats scheduled for a TARPS mission in a prelude to an upcoming international exercise in the vicinity of Berbera An SA 2 was fired at the second Tomcat while conducting 10 000 ft 3 000 m mapping profile at max conserve setting The Tomcat aircrews spotted the missile launch and dove for the deck thereby evading it without damage The unexpected demand for combat TARPS laid the way for high altitude sensors such as the KA 93 Long Range Optics LOROP to be rapidly procured for the Tomcat as well as an Expanded Chaff Adapter ECA to be incorporated in an AIM 54 Phoenix Rail Commercial fuzz buster type radar detectors were also procured and mounted in pairs in the forward cockpit as a stop gap solution to detect SAM radars such as the SA 6 The ultimate solution was an upgrade to the ALR 67 then being developed but it would not be ready until the advent of the F 14A later in the 1980s 75 nbsp An F 14A of VF 32 during Operation Desert Storm with a KC 135 Stratotanker and two EA 6B Prowlers in the backgroundThe participation of the F 14 in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm consisted of Combat Air Patrol CAP over the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and overland missions consisting of strike escort and reconnaissance Until the waning days of Desert Storm in country air superiority was tasked to USAF F 15 Eagles due to the way the Air Tasking Orders ATO delegated primary overland CAP stations to the F 15 The governing Rules of Engagement ROE also dictated a strict Identification Friend or Foe IFF requirement when employing Beyond Visual Range weapons such as the AIM 7 Sparrow and particularly the AIM 54 Phoenix This hampered the Tomcat from using its most powerful weapon Furthermore the powerful emissions from the AWG 9 radar are detectable at great range with a radar warning receiver Iraqi fighters routinely retreated as soon as the Tomcats lit them up with the AWG 9 76 77 The U S Navy suffered its only F 14 loss from enemy action on 21 January 1991 when BuNo 161430 an F 14A upgraded to an F 14A from VF 103 was shot down by an SA 2 surface to air missile while on an escort mission near Al Asad airbase in Iraq Both crew members survived ejection with the pilot being rescued by USAF Special Operation Forces and the RIO being captured by Iraqi troops as a POW until the end of the war 78 The F 14 also achieved its final kill in US service a Mi 8 Hip helicopter with an AIM 9 Sidewinder 79 nbsp A Navy F 14D flying over the skies of Afghanistan on a precision bombing mission in November 2001In 1995 F 14s from VF 14 and VF 41 participated in Operation Deliberate Force as well as Operation Allied Force in 1999 and in 1998 VF 32 and VF 213 participated in Operation Desert Fox On 15 February 2001 the Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM was added to the Tomcat s arsenal On 7 October 2001 F 14s would lead some of the first strikes into Afghanistan marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom and the first F 14 drop of a JDAM occurred on 11 March 2002 F 14s from VF 2 VF 31 VF 32 VF 154 and VF 213 would also participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom The F 14Ds of VF 2 VF 31 and VF 213 obtained JDAM capability in March 2003 32 On 10 December 2005 the F 14Ds of VF 31 and VF 213 were upgraded with a ROVER III downlink for transmitting images to a ground Forward Air Controller FAC 33 The Navy decided to retire the F 14 with the F A 18E F Super Hornet filling the roles of fleet defense and strike formerly filled by the F 14 80 81 nbsp The last F 14 launch from a carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on 28 July 2006The last American F 14 combat mission was completed on 8 February 2006 when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt after one dropped a bomb over Iraq During their final deployment with Theodore Roosevelt VF 31 and VF 213 collectively completed 1 163 combat sorties totaling 6 876 flight hours and dropped 9 500 lb 4 300 kg of ordnance during reconnaissance surveillance and close air support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 82 USS Theodore Roosevelt launched an F 14D of VF 31 for the last time on 28 July 2006 piloted by Lt Blake Coleman and Lt Cmdr Dave Lauderbaugh as RIO 83 The last two F 14 squadrons the VF 31 Tomcatters and the VF 213 Black Lions conducted their last fly in at Naval Air Station Oceana on 10 March 2006 84 The official final flight retirement ceremony was on 22 September 2006 at Naval Air Station Oceana and was flown by Lt Cmdr Chris Richard and Lt Mike Petronis as RIO in a backup F 14 after the primary aircraft experienced mechanical problems 85 86 The actual last flight of an F 14 in U S service took place 4 October 2006 when an F 14D of VF 31 was ferried from NAS Oceana to Republic Airport on Long Island New York 86 The remaining intact F 14 aircraft in the U S were flown to and stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group Boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base Arizona in 2007 the U S Navy announced plans to shred the remaining F 14s to prevent any components from being acquired by Iran 87 In August 2009 the 309th AMARG stated that the last aircraft were taken to HVF West Tucson Arizona for shredding At that time only 11 F 14s remained in desert storage 88 Iran Edit Although attempts had been made to sell the Tomcat to the air forces of Canada Germany and Japan 89 the Imperial Iranian Air Force would ultimately be the sole foreign customer for the Tomcat during the reign of the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi In the early 1970s the Imperial Iranian Air Force IIAF was searching for an advanced fighter specifically one capable of intercepting Soviet MiG 25 reconnaissance flights After a visit of U S President Richard Nixon to Pahlavi Iran in 1972 during which Iran was offered the latest in American military technology the IIAF selected and initiated acquisition of the F 14 Tomcat but offered McDonnell Douglas the chance to demonstrate its F 15 Eagle 90 The US Navy and Grumman Corporation arranged competitive demonstrations of the Eagle and the Tomcat at Andrews AFB for the Shah and high ranking officers and in January 1974 Iran placed an order for 30 F 14s and 424 AIM 54 Phoenix missiles initiating Project Persian King worth US 300 million A few months later this order was increased to a total of 80 Tomcats and 714 Phoenix missiles as well as spare parts and replacement engines for 10 years complete armament package and support infrastructure including construction of the Khatami Air Base near Isfahan citation needed The first F 14 arrived in January 1976 modified only by the removal of classified avionics components but fitted with the TF 30 414 engines The following year 12 more were delivered Meanwhile training of the first groups of Iranian crews by the U S Navy was underway in the US one of these conducted a successful shoot down with a Phoenix missile of a target drone flying at 50 000 ft 15 km citation needed Following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 the air force was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force IRIAF and the post revolution Interim Government of Iran canceled most Western arms orders In 1980 an Iranian F 14 shot down an Iraqi Mil Mi 25 helicopter for its first air to air kill during the Iran Iraq War 1980 1988 2 According to research by Tom Cooper Iranian F 14s scored at least 50 air to air victories in the first six months of the war against Iraqi MiG 21s MiG 23s and some Su 20s 22s During the same period only one Iranian F 14 suffered damage after being hit by debris from a nearby MiG 21 that exploded 91 Iranian Tomcats were originally used as an early warning platform assisting other less sophisticated aircraft with targeting and defense They were also crucial to the defense of areas deemed vital by the Iranian government such as oil terminals on Kharg Island and industrial infrastructure in the capital Tehran Many of these patrols had the support of Boeing 707 3J9C in flight refueling tankers As fighting escalated between 1982 and 1986 the F 14s gradually became more involved in the battle They performed well but their primary role was to intimidate the Iraqi Air Force and avoid heavy engagement to protect the fleet s numbers Their presence was often enough to drive away opposing Iraqi fighters The precision and effectiveness of the Tomcat s AWG 9 weapons system and AIM 54A Phoenix long range air to air missiles enabled the F 14 to maintain air superiority 91 92 In December 1980 an Iraqi MiG 21bis accounted for the only confirmed kill of an F 14 by that type of aircraft 93 On 11 August 1984 a MiG 23ML shot down an F 14A using an R 60 missile 93 On 2 September 1986 a MiG 23ML using an R 24T missile mistakenly shot down an F 14 that was defecting to Iraq 94 On 17 January 1987 another Iranian F 14A was shot down according to some sources it was shot down by a MiG 23ML 93 According to the latest data the F 14A which was shot down on 17 January was destroyed by an R 40 missile fired by an Iraqi MiG 25PDS pilot Captain Adnan Sae ed and the MiG 23 pilot did not claim any victory 95 nbsp Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down eleven Iraqi aircraft during the Iran Iraq War making him the highest scoring F 14 pilot 96 Iraq also obtained Mirage F 1EQ fighters from France in 1981 armed with Super530F and Magic Mk 2 air to air missiles The Mirage F 1 fighters were eventually responsible for four confirmed F 14 kills 97 The IRIAF attempted to keep 60 F 14s operational throughout the war but reports indicate this number was reduced to 30 by 1986 with only half fully mission capable 91 98 Based on research by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop Iran claimed their F 14s shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran Iraq War including 58 MiG 23s 15 of these are confirmed according to Cooper 33 Mirage F1s 23 MiG 21s 23 Su 20s 22s nine MiG 25s one of these are confirmed according to Iraqi sources five Tu 22s two MiG 27s one Mil Mi 24 one Dassault Mirage 5 one B 6D one Aerospatiale Super Frelon and two unidentified aircraft Despite the circumstances the F 14s and their crews faced during the war against Iraq lacking support from AWACS AEW aircraft and Ground Control Intercept GCI the F 14 proved to be successful in combat It achieved this in the midst of a confrontation with an enemy that was constantly upgrading its capabilities and receiving support from three major countries France the US and the USSR Part of the success is attributed to the resilient Iranian economy and IRIAF personnel 2 91 While Iraq s army claimed it shot down more than 70 F 14s the Foreign Broadcast Information System in Washington DC estimated that Iran lost 12 to 16 F 14s during the war Cooper writes three F 14s were shot down by Iraqi pilots and four by Iranian surface to air missiles SAM Two more Tomcats were lost in unknown circumstances during the battle and seven crashed due to technical failure or accidents 99 During the war the Iranian Air Force F 14s suffered ten confirmed losses one lost due to engine stall one in unknown conditions two by Iranian Hawk SAMs two by MIG 23s and four were shot down by Mirage F 1s There are also unconfirmed reports of the downing of 10 more Tomcats 100 On 31 August 1986 an Iranian F 14A armed with at least one AIM 54A missile defected to Iraq Then again on 2 September 1986 another Iranian F 14A defected to Iraq 101 102 In addition one or more of Iran s F 14A was delivered to the Soviet Union in exchange for technical assistance at least one of its crew defected to the Soviet Union 103 On 24 July 2002 an Iranian F 14A confronted two Azerbaijani MiG 25s that were threatening an Iranian P 3F securing a radar lock on one of the MiGs which then turned away during tensions over attempts by Azerbaijan to survey for oil in Iranian waters in the Caspian Sea 104 Iran had an estimated 44 F 14s in 2009 according to Combat Aircraft 105 Aviation Week estimated it had 19 operational F 14s in January 2013 106 and FlightGlobal estimated that 28 were in service in 2014 107 nbsp Formation flight of Iranian Tomcats 2008Following the US Navy s retirement of its Tomcats in 2006 Iran sought to purchase spare parts for its aircraft 108 In January 2007 the U S Department of Defense announced that sales of spare F 14 parts would be suspended over concerns of the parts ending up in Iran 109 In July 2007 the remaining American F 14s were shredded to ensure that any parts could not be acquired 87 Despite these measures Iran managed to significantly increase its stocks of spare parts increasing the number of airworthy Tomcats although as it did not manage to obtain spare parts for the aircraft s weapon systems the number of combat ready Tomcats was still low seven in 2008 110 In 2010 Iran requested that the U S deliver the 80th F 14 that it had purchased in 1974 but never received due to the Islamic Revolution 111 112 In October 2010 an Iranian Air Force commander claimed that the country overhauls and optimizes different types of military aircraft mentioning their Air Force has installed Iran made radar systems on the F 14 113 In 2012 the Iranian Air Force s Mehrabad Overhaul Center delivered an F 14 with upgraded weapon systems with locally sourced components designated F 14AM 114 Shortages of Phoenix missiles led to attempts to integrate the Russian R 27 semi active radar guided missile but these proved unsuccessful An alternative was the use of modified MIM 23 Hawk missiles to replace the Tomcat s Phoenixes and Sparrows but as the Tomcat could only carry two Hawks this project was also abandoned and the Fakour 90 missile which used the guidance system of the Hawk packaged into the airframe of the Phoenix launched Pre production Fakour 90s were delivered in 2017 and a production order for 100 missiles now designated AIM 23B was placed in 2018 intending to replace the F 14s AIM 7E Sparrow missiles 115 On 26 January 2012 an Iranian F 14 crashed three minutes after takeoff Both crew members were killed 116 In November 2015 Iranian F 14s were reported flying escort for Russian Tu 95 Tu 160 and Tu 22M bombers on air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 117 118 On 14 May 2019 an Iranian F 14 crashed during landing at Isfahan Shahid Beheshti Airport Both crew members ejected and survived 119 Variants EditA total of 712 F 14s were built from 1969 to 1991 F 14 assembly and test flights were performed at Grumman s plant in Calverton on Long Island New York Grumman facility at nearby Bethpage New York was directly involved in F 14 manufacturing and was home to its engineers The airframes were partially assembled in Bethpage and then shipped to Calverton for final assembly Various tests were also performed at the Bethpage Plant Around 34 F 14s have been lost over thirty years of service citation needed F 14A Edit The F 14A was the initial two seat twin engine all weather interceptor fighter variant for the U S Navy It first flew on 21 December 1970 The first 12 F 14As were prototype versions 120 sometimes called YF 14As Modifications late in its service life added precision strike munitions to its armament The U S Navy received 478 F 14A aircraft and 79 were received by Iran citation needed The final 102 F 14As were delivered with improved Pratt amp Whitney TF30 P 414A engines citation needed Additionally an 80th F 14A was manufactured for Iran but was delivered to the U S Navy citation needed Throughout its production run the F 14A underwent numerous changes which were divided into blocks labelled in multiples of 5 121 F 14A 60 BuNo 158612 158619 F 14A 65 BuNo 158620 158637 F 14A 70 BuNo 158978 159006 F 14A 75 BuNo 159007 159025 early beaver tail with dielectric fairings IRST chin pod with ALQ 100 antenna 7 holed gun vent F 14A 75 BuNo 159421 159429 F 14A 80 BuNo 159430 159468 dielectric fairings removed from beaver tail F 14A 85 BuNo BuNo 159588 159637 AN ARC 159 UHF radio replaced AN ARC 51A radio 2 holed gun vent installed during construction of airframe BuNos 159612 159615 F 14A 90 BuNo 159825 159874 F 14A 95 BuNo 160379 160414 small angle of attack probe added to nose radome automated maneuvering flaps F 14A 100 BuNo 160652 160696 F 14A 105 BuNo 160887 160937 slip clutch and coupler installation added to the flap slat system fuel system improvements improved AN AWG 9 anti corrosion measures i e seals baffles drain plugs F 14A 110 BuNo 161138 161168 F 14A 115 BuNo 161270 161299 AN ALQ antenna added to the beaver tail and above and below wing gloves F 14A 120 BuNo 161416 161445 F 14A 125 BuNo 161597 161626 F 14A 130 BuNo 161850 161873 F 14A 135 BuNo 162588 162611 ECM blisters under glove vanes and on the tip of the beavertail F 14A 140 BuNo 162688 162711 TCS chin pod with ALQ 100 antennaF 14B Edit nbsp Close up view of the distinctive afterburner petals of the GE F110 engineThe F 14 received its first of many major upgrades in March 1987 with the F 14A Plus or F 14A The F 14A s TF30 engine was replaced with the improved F110 GE 400 engine The F 14A also received the state of the art ALR 67 Radar Homing and Warning RHAW system Many of the avionics components as well as the AWG 9 radar were retained The F 14A was later redesignated F 14B on 1 May 1991 A total of 38 new aircraft were manufactured and 43 F 14A were upgraded into B variants 122 28 In the late 1990s 81 F 14Bs were upgraded to extend airframe life and improve offensive and defensive avionics systems The modified aircraft became known as F 14B Upgrade 123 F 14D Edit nbsp An upgraded F 14D R Tomcat with the ROVER transmit antenna circled with USS Theodore Roosevelt in the backgroundThe final variant of the F 14 was the F 14D Super Tomcat first delivered in 1991 As with the F 14B the F 14D was equipped with the F110 GE 400 engines It also included newer digital avionics systems including a glass cockpit and replaced the AWG 9 with the newer AN APG 71 radar Other systems included the Airborne Self Protection Jammer ASPJ Joint Tactical Information Distribution System JTIDS SJU 17 V Naval Aircrew Common Ejection Seats NACES and Infrared search and track IRST 124 A total of 37 new aircraft were completed and 18 F 14A models were upgraded to D models designated F 14D R for a rebuild Starting in 2005 some F 14Ds received the ROVER III upgrade citation needed Projected variants Edit nbsp A prototype F 14B test aircraft with F401 engines installedWhen the F 14 was still in development Grumman had planned an upgrade path for the Tomcat s propulsion and avionics The first F 14B was to be an improved version of the F 14A with more powerful Advanced Technology Engine Pratt amp Whitney F401 turbofans the F 14B prototype equipped with the F401 first flew in 1973 The F 14C was a projected variant of this initial F 14B with advanced multi mission avionics 125 Grumman also offered an interceptor version of the F 14B in response to the U S Air Force s Improved Manned Interceptor Program as one of the contenders to replace the Convair F 106 Delta Dart as an Aerospace Defense Command interceptor in the 1970s The F 14 ADC interceptor variant was to be armed with a GAU 7 A 25mm caseless cannon and powered by F100 turbofans 126 The F 14B program was terminated in April 1974 The actual F 14B and D upgrades that went into service did somewhat follow the initially projected B and C upgrade path in practice although it was much more delayed and with fewer airframes 127 nbsp Grumman s proposed F 14 ADC Interceptor for USAF Aerospace Defense Command in 1972 with the simulated Buzz Code and Aerospace Defense Command livery and emblem on the tailIn the early 1990s Grumman proposed a few improved Super Tomcat versions The first was the Quickstrike which would have been an F 14D with navigational and targeting pods additional attach points for weapons and added ground attack capabilities to its radar turning the Tomcat into a multirole strike fighter The Quickstrike was to fill the role of the A 6 Intruder after it was retired This was not considered enough of an improvement by Congress so the company shifted to the Super Tomcat 21 ST 21 proposed design The ST 21 was a proposed lower cost alternative to the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter NATF and would mostly have the same shape and body as the Tomcat and an upgraded AN APG 71 radar The improved General Electric F110 GE 429 engines N 3 were to provide a supercruise speed of Mach 1 3 and featured thrust vectoring nozzles The version would have reshaped leading edge gloves increased fuel capacity and modified control surfaces for improved takeoffs and lower landing approach speed The Attack Super Tomcat 21 AST 21 version was the last proposed Super Tomcat design and was meant to be a more attack oriented version of the ST 21 with possibly an active electronically scanned array AESA radar from the canceled A 12 attack aircraft The A ST 21 was to be able to be rebuilt from existing F 14 airframes 128 129 The last Tomcat variant was the ASF 14 Advanced Strike Fighter 14 Grumman s replacement for the NATF concept By all accounts it would not be even remotely related to the previous Tomcats save in appearance incorporating the new technology and design know how from the Advanced Tactical Fighter ATF and Advanced Tactical Aircraft ATA programs The ASF 14 would have been a new build aircraft with considerably greater development costs however its projected capabilities were not that much better than that of the A ST 21 variants 128 In the end the proposed Super Tomcat variants were considered to be too costly and also faced stiff political opposition from the Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney The Navy decided to pursue the cheaper F A 18E F Super Hornet to fill the fighter attack or strike fighter role 128 Operators Edit nbsp F 14 Tomcat operators as of 2014 former operators in red nbsp An IRIAF F 14 Tomcat landing at Mehrabad Iran nbsp F 14A Tomcat of NFWS TOPGUN NAS Miramar c 1993 nbsp Front view of an F 14A at Yokota Air Base Tokyo Japan 2003 nbsp F 14A BuNo 162689 at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda California 2009 nbsp IranIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force 72nd TFS F 14A 1976 1985 73rd TFS F 14A 1977 1985 81st TFS F 14A 1977 present 82nd TFS F 14A 1978 present 83rd TFS F 14A renamed former 62nd TFS 130 Former operators Edit nbsp Pahlavi IranImperial Iranian Air Force 72nd TFS F 14A 1976 1979 73rd TFS F 14A 1977 1979 81st TFS F 14A 1977 1979 82nd TFS F 14A 1978 1979 83rd Tomcat Flight School F 14A 1978 1979 nbsp United StatesUnited States Navy operated F 14 from 1974 to 2006 Navy Fighter Weapons School TOPGUN Merged with Strike University Strike U to form Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center NSAWC 1996 VF 126 Bandits Disestablished 1 April 1994 VF 1 Wolfpack Disestablished 30 September 1993 VF 2 Bounty Hunters Pacific Fleet through 1996 Atlantic Fleet 1996 2003 Pacific Fleet 2003 present redesignated VFA 2 with F A 18F 1 July 2003 VF 11 Red Rippers Redesignated to VFA 11 with F A 18F May 2005 VF 14 Tophatters Redesignated VFA 14 with F A 18E 1 December 2001 and transferred to Pacific Fleet 2002 VF 21 Freelancers Disestablished 31 January 1996 VF 24 Fighting Renegades Disestablished 20 August 1996 VF 31 Tomcatters Redesignated VFA 31 with F A 18E October 2006 VF 32 Swordsmen Redesignated VFA 32 with F A 18F 1 October 2005 VF 33 Starfighters Disestablished 1 October 1993 VF 41 Black Aces Redesignated VFA 41 with F A 18F 1 December 2001 VF 51 Screaming Eagles Disestablished 31 March 1995 VF 74 Bedevilers Disestablished 30 April 1994 VF 84 Jolly Rogers Disestablished 1 October 1995 squadron heritage and nickname transferred to VF 103 VF 102 Diamondbacks Redesignated VFA 102 with F A 18F 1 May 2002 and transferred to Pacific Fleet VF 103 Sluggers Jolly Rogers Redesignated VFA 103 with F A 18F 1 May 2005 VF 111 Sundowners Disestablished 31 March 1995 squadron heritage and nickname adopted by VFC 111 VF 114 Aardvarks Disestablished 30 April 1993 VF 142 Ghostriders Disestablished 30 April 1995 VF 143 Pukin Dogs Redesignated VFA 143 with F A 18E early 2005 VF 154 Black Knights Redesignated VFA 154 with F A 18F 1 October 2003 VF 191 Satan s Kittens Disestablished 30 April 1988 VF 194 Red Lightnings Disestablished 30 April 1988 VF 211 Fighting Checkmates Pacific Fleet through 1996 then transferred to Atlantic Fleet redesignated VFA 211 with F A 18F 1 October 2004 VF 213 Black Lions Pacific Fleet through 1996 then transferred to Atlantic Fleet redesignated VFA 213 with F A 18F May 2006 Naval Air Systems Command Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX 4 Evaluators Disestablished 30 September 1994 and merged into VX 5 to form VX 9 VX 9 Vampires Currently operates F A 18C D E F EA 18G F 35C EA 6B AV 8B AH 1 and UH 1 VX 23 Salty Dogs Currently operates F A 18A B C D E F EA 6B EA 18G F 35C and T 45 VX 30 Bloodhounds Currently operates P 3 C 130 S 3 Fleet Replacement Squadrons VF 101 Grim Reapers Atlantic Fleet then sole single site F 14 FRS Disestablished 15 September 2005 squadron heritage and nickname adopted by VFA 101 an F 35C Fleet Replacement Squadron established in May 2012 VFA 101 itself would be disestablished 23 May 2019 131 132 VF 124 Gunfighters Pacific Fleet F 14 FRS Disestablished 30 September 1994 Naval Air Force Reserve Squadrons VF 201 Hunters Redesignated VFA 201 and reequipped with F A 18A on 1 January 1999 disestablished 30 June 2007 VF 202 Superheats Disestablished 31 December 1994 VF 301 Devil s Disciples Disestablished 11 September 1994 VF 302 Stallions Disestablished 11 September 1994 Naval Air Force Reserve Squadron Augmentation Units SAUs VF 1285 Fighting Fubijars Disestablished September 1994 augmented VF 301 and VF 302 VF 1485 Americans Disestablished September 1994 augmented VF 124 VF 1486 Fighting Hobos Disestablished September 2005 augmented VF 101 NASA operated a single F 14 834 at Dryden Flight Research Center in 1986 and 1987 in a program known as the Variable Sweep Transition Flight Experiment VSTFE This program explored laminar flow on variable sweep aircraft at high subsonic speeds 133 Aircraft on display Edit nbsp An F 14A on display at Grumman Memorial Park in New York nbsp F 14A BuNo 160661 on display at the U S Space and Rocket Center s Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville Alabama 2009 nbsp YF 14A at the Cradle of Aviation Museum nbsp F 14D at the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum nbsp F 14A of VF 84 Jolly Rogers at the Museum of FlightNotable F 14s preserved at museums and military installations include Bureau Number BuNo Model Location Significance F 14A157982 Cradle of Aviation Museum Garden City New York Prototype No 3 Nonstructural demonstration testbed 134 157984 National Naval Aviation Museum Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida Fifth F 14 manufactured and one of the prototypes used in flight testing Mounted on pedestal at entrance to museum 135 157988 NAS Oceana Air Park Virginia 136 157990 March Field Air Museum Riverside California Eleventh F 14 manufactured and one of the prototypes used in carrier suitability testing 137 158617 Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Post 7293 Whitehall Pennsylvania 138 158623 Naval Base Ventura County NAS Point Mugu California pedestal mount at Front Gate Airpark 139 158627 Hickory Aviation Museum Hickory NC 158978 USS Midway Museum San Diego California 140 158985 Yanks Air Museum Chino California 141 158998 Air Victory Museum Lumberton New Jersey 142 158999 Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth former Carswell AFB Fort Worth Texas 143 159025 Patriot s Point Naval and Maritime Museum Charleston South Carolina 144 159445 Naval Station Norfolk former Naval Air Station Norfolk East Gate Airpark Virginia 145 159448 Naval Inventory Control Point Pennsylvania 146 159455 NAS Patuxent River Lexington Park Maryland a former VX 23 flight test squadron aircraft 147 159620 NAF El Centro California 148 159626 Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center Naval Air Station Fallon Nevada 149 159631 San Diego Aerospace Museum San Diego California 150 Used in Top Gun Maverick 151 159829 Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum former Lowry AFB Denver Colorado From VF 211 later used for aircraft maintenance training by Naval Air Reserve Center Denver at Buckley AFB 152 159830 Western Museum of Flight Torrance California 153 159848 Tillamook Air Museum Tillamook Oregon 154 159853 Defense Supply Center Richmond Richmond Virginia 155 160382 Museum of Flight Tukwila Washington VF 84 Jolly Rogers AJ202 Stationed on the USS Nimitz This aircraft as well as several other F 14As from the famous Jolly Rogers squadron appear in the 1980 film The Final Countdown which was filmed on board the USS Nimitz On loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Florida 156 160386 Recruit Training Command Naval Station Great Lakes Chicago Illinois 157 nbsp F 14 Tomcat at the Texas Air Museum in Slaton Texas160391 Texas Air Museum Slaton Texas on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum appeared in the films The Final Countdown and Executive Decision 158 160395 Air Zoo Kalamazoo Michigan 159 160401 Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility Virginia Capes FACSFAC VACAPES Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia 160 160402 NAS Oceana Virginia Beach 160403 American Airpower Heritage Museum Midland Texas 161 It is one of the aircraft involved in 1981 Gulf of Sidra incident 160411 Empire State Aerosciences Museum Glenville New York 162 160658 NAES Lakehurst New Jersey 163 160661 U S Space and Rocket Center s Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville Alabama 164 160666 Western Aerospace Museum Oakland California Originally delivered to VF 111 in 1978 subsequently reassigned to NAVAIR test duties permanently modified for development of follow on avionics and weapons systems 165 160684 Pima Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis Monthan AFB Tucson Arizona Repainted in its original markings as NL 211 of VF 111 aboard USS KITTY HAWK CV 63 as this particular aircraft appeared in its initial operational squadron service c 1978 1981 166 160694 USS Lexington Museum Corpus Christi Texas Former VF 51 aircraft used in the making of Top Gun Currently painted in fictitious markings from the movie Aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola Florida 167 168 169 160889 Pacific Coast Air Museum at Charles M Schulz Sonoma County Airport Santa Rosa California 170 160898 Palm Springs Air Museum Palm Springs California 171 160902 Grumman Memorial Park Calverton New York 172 160903 Mid America Air Museum Liberal Mid America Regional Airport Liberal Kansas 173 160909 Dobbins Air Reserve Base Atlanta Georgia 174 160914 Willmar Municipal Airport Wilmar Minnesota 175 160925 Eisenhower Park WaKeeney Kansas 176 161134 Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum Space Coast Regional Airport Titusville Florida 177 161598 Tulsa Air and Space Museum Tulsa Oklahoma It has VF 41 Black Aces markings 178 161605 Wings of Eagles Discovery Center National Warplane Museum Horseheads New York 179 161615 Combat Air Museum Topeka Kansas 180 161620 Selfridge Military Air Museum Selfridge Air National Guard Base Mount Clemens Michigan 181 161860 Aviation Museum of Kentucky 162591 United States Naval Academy Annapolis Maryland transferred from Quonset Air Museum North Kingstown Rhode Island 182 162592 Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Simi Valley California 183 162595 Naval Test Wing Atlantic Naval Air Station Patuxent River Maryland 184 162607 Yanks Air Museum Chino Airport Chino California Partial cockpit section painted in fictitious markings from Top Gun movie 185 162608 Southern Museum of Flight Birmingham Alabama 186 162689 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet Museum former Naval Air Station Alameda Alameda California 187 162694 MAPS Air Museum North Canton Ohio 188 162710 National Naval Aviation Museum Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida 189 F 14B161422 Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum 190 161426 DeLand Naval Air Station Museum Florida 191 162912 Grissom Air Museum Grissom Air Reserve Base former Grissom AFB Indiana 192 162916 Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Post 8896 Richard R Gross Post East Berlin Pennsylvania 193 162926 New England Air Museum Windsor Locks Connecticut 194 162911 Estrella Warbird Museum Paso Robles California 195 F 14D R 159600 OV 10 Bronco Museum Fort Worth Texas On loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation NAS Pensacola Florida Nicknamed Christine it was the longest serving F 14 Tomcat in U S Navy Remanufactured from F 14A to F 14D R configuration it was originally built in 1976 and made the final combat deployment cruise of the F 14 in 2006 196 159610 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F Udvar Hazy Center Chantilly Virginia This F 14 was one of those involved in the second Gulf of Sidra incident 197 159619 Florida Air Museum at Sun n Fun Lakeland Linder International Airport Lakeland Florida 198 161159 National Naval Aviation Museum Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida Completed the last combat flight and the last combat carrier arrested landing trap by a U S Navy F 14 199 161163 Prairie Aviation Museum Bloomington Illinois Depot Level Conversion performed September 1991 Retired as MODEX 205 of Fighter Squadron 213 VF 213 Black Lions 200 161166 Carolinas Aviation Museum Charlotte North Carolina 201 F 14D157986 USS Intrepid CV 11 Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum Manhattan New York 7th Tomcat built retained as research and development airframe 202 163893 main gate Arnold Engineering and Development Center Arnold AFB Tennessee 203 163897 Aerospace Museum of California McClellan Airfield former McClellan AFB and current Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento Sacramento California 204 163902 Hickory Aviation Museum at Hickory Regional Airport Hickory North Carolina VF 31 Tomcatters aircraft Modex number 107 flew the F 14 retirement ceremony with LCDR Chris Richard and LT Mike Petronis at the controls 205 163904 Pacific Aviation Museum Ford Island Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Hawaii 206 164342 Wings Over Miami Miami Florida 207 164343 Evergreen Aviation Museum McMinnville Oregon 208 164346 Museum of Flight Rome Georgia On loan from National Museum of Naval Aviation Pensacola Florida Last Tomcat to operationally trap aboard a U S Navy aircraft carrier 209 164350 Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42 Palmdale California 210 164601 Castle Air Museum at former Castle AFB Atwater California 211 164603 Cradle of Aviation Museum Garden City New York Felix 101 from VF 31 is the last Tomcat to fly in U S Navy service Final flight was from NAS Oceana Virginia to the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport Long Island New York on 4 October 2006 where it was displayed for a year and a half before being moved to Grumman Plant 25 212 and then to the Cradle of Aviation Museum after the Grumman facility was sold 213 164604 NAS Oceana Memorial Park Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Last F 14 manufactured assigned to VX 4 later VX 9 at Naval Air Station Point Mugu California during its operational service and used the callsign Vandy 1 214 NF 14D161623 Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Naval Air Station Patuxent River Lexington Park Maryland It is a former VX 23 flight test squadron aircraft 215 Specifications F 14D Edit nbsp Grumman F 14 Tomcat drawings nbsp F 14A of VF 111 Sundowners USS Carl Vinson nbsp F 14B from the VF 211 Fighting Checkmates carrying six AIM 54 Phoenix missilesData from U S Navy file 1 Spick 47 Flight International March 1985 216 General characteristicsCrew 2 pilot and radar intercept officer Length 62 ft 9 in 19 13 m Wingspan 64 ft 1 5 in 19 545 m Swept wingspan 38 ft 2 5 in 11 646 m swept Height 16 ft 4 9 m Wing area 565 sq ft 52 5 m2 wings only 1 008 sq ft 94 m2 effective area including fuselage 41 Airfoil Grumman 1 74 35 9 6 1 1 30 1 1 root Grumman 1 27 30 9 0 1 1 40 1 1 tip 217 Empty weight 43 735 lb 19 838 kg Gross weight 61 000 lb 27 669 kg Max takeoff weight 74 350 lb 33 725 kg Fuel capacity 16 200 lb 7 348 kg internal fuel 2 optional 267 US gal 222 imp gal 1 010 L 1 756 lb 797 kg external tanks 47 Powerplant 2 General Electric F110 GE 400 afterburning turbofans 16 333 lbf 72 65 kN thrust each dry 26 950 lbf 119 9 kN with afterburner N 4 Performance Maximum speed Mach 2 34 1 544 mph 2 485 km h at altitude Range 1 600 nmi 1 800 mi 3 000 km Combat range 500 nmi 580 mi 930 km Service ceiling 53 000 ft 16 000 m plus g limits 7 5 g 6 5 g operational limit N 5 Rate of climb 45 000 ft min 230 m s plus Wing loading 96 lb sq ft 470 kg m2 48 lb sq ft 230 kg m2 effective 41 Thrust weight 0 88 at gross weight 1 02 with loaded weight amp 50 internal fuel Takeoff roll 2 500 ft 760 m Landing roll 2 400 ft 730 m Armament Guns 1 20 mm 0 787 in M61A1 Vulcan 6 barreled rotary cannon with 675 rounds Hardpoints 10 total 6 under fuselage 2 under nacelles and 2 on wing gloves 218 N 6 with a capacity of 14 500 lb 6 600 kg of ordnance and fuel tanks 219 with provisions to carry combinations of Rockets 7x LAU 10 rocket pods for a total of 28 rockets Missiles AIM 54 Phoenix AIM 7 Sparrow AIM 9 Sidewinder air to air missiles N 7 Bombs JDAM precision guided munition PGMs Paveway series of laser guided bombs Mk 80 series of unguided iron bombs Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster munition Other Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System TARPS LANTIRN Targeting System LTS pod AN AAQ 14 2 267 US gal 1 010 L 222 imp gal drop tanks for extended range loitering timeAvionics Hughes AN APG 71 radar AN ALR 67 radar warning receiver AN AAS 42 infrared search and track AAX 1 TCS AN ASN 130 Inertial navigation system Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver ROVER upgradeTomcat logo Edit nbsp Tomcat logoThe Tomcat logo design came when Grumman s Director of Presentation Services Dick Milligan and one of his artists Grumman employee Jim Rodriguez were asked for a logo by Grumman s Director of Business Development and former Blue Angels No 5 pilot Norm Gandia 220 Per Rodriguez He asked me to draw a lifelike Tomcat wearing boxing gloves and trunks sporting a six shooter on his left side where the guns are located on the F 14 along with two tails The Cat was drawn up after a tabby cat was sourced and used for photographs and named Tom The logo has gone through many variations including one for the then Imperial Iranian Air Force F 14 called Ali cat The accompanying slogan Anytime Baby was developed by Norm Gandia as a challenge to the U S Air Force s McDonnell Douglas F 15 Eagle 220 221 Notable appearances in media EditMain article Aircraft in fiction F 14 Tomcat The Grumman F 14 Tomcat was central to the 1986 film Top Gun 222 223 224 The aviation themed film was such a success in creating interest in naval aviation that the US Navy which assisted with the film set up recruitment desks outside some theaters 225 Producers paid the US Navy 886 000 equivalent to 2 411 000 in 2022 as reimbursement for flight time of aircraft in the film with an F 14 billed at 7 600 equivalent to 20 700 in 2022 per flight hour 226 227 The F 14 Tomcat was also featured in its 2022 sequel 228 Two F 14As of VF 84 from USS Nimitz were featured in the 1980 film The Final Countdown 229 with four from the squadron in the 1996 release Executive Decision 230 Multiple F 14s are featured in the 2008 documentary Speed amp Angels featuring the story of two young Navy officers working to achieve their dream of becoming F 14 fighter pilots 231 The F 14 served as an inspiration for various fictional aircraft most notably the Macross franchise s VF 1 Valkyrie and the Skystriker XP 14F from the G I Joe A Real American Hero toyline 232 Actual F 14s were featured in the first episode of Macross Zero the OVA prequel to Super Dimension Fortress Macross adapted as Robotech in the US See also Edit nbsp Aviation portalFourth generation jet fighter Grumman XF10F Jaguar Teen SeriesRelated development General Dynamics Grumman F 111BAircraft of comparable role configuration and era McDonnell Douglas F 15 Eagle Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 27 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 23 Panavia TornadoRelated lists List of fighter aircraft List of military aircraft of the United StatesReferences EditNotes Edit Admiral Thomas F Connolly wrote the chapter The TFX One Fighter For All 13 The F 14 s maximum speed is limited by the scheduling of the inlet ramps and the inlet ramp programming for the F110 was optimized more for transonic performance at higher speeds the installed dynamic thrust of the TF30 actually exceeds the F110 s The F110 GE 429 is the designation of the proposed Navy version of the F110 GE 129 These figures are static sea level uninstalled thrust Static sea level installed thrust is 13 800 lbf 61 kN at military power and 23 600 lbf 105 kN in full afterburner At Mach 0 9 at sea level installed thrust is 30 200 lbf 134 kN in full afterburner 51 The g limit was operationally limited by the U S Navy to 6 5 g to increase service life The hardpoints between nacelles include two on centerline plus four others next to nacelles Points between nacelles can only carry a maximum of four missiles at one time Each wing glove can carry one large pylon for larger missiles with one rail on the outboard side of the pylon for a Sidewinder Loading configurations 2 AIM 9 6 AIM 54 Rarely used due to weight stress on airframe 2 AIM 9 2 AIM 54 3 AIM 7 Most common load during Cold War era 2 AIM 9 4 AIM 54 2 AIM 7 2 AIM 9 6 AIM 7 4 AIM 9 4 AIM 54 4 AIM 9 4 AIM 7 Citations Edit a b c F 14 Tomcat fighter fact file United States Navy 5 July 2003 Archived from the original on 2 April 2006 Retrieved 20 January 2007 a b c d Cooper Tom Persian Cats How Iranian air crews cut off from U S technical support used the F 14 against Iraqi attackers Archived 30 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Air amp Space Magazine November 2006 Retrieved 24 March 2012 Cooper Tom and Farzad Bishop Iranian F 14 Tomcat Units in Combat p 84 Oxford Osprey Publishing 2004 ISBN 1 84176 787 5 Thomason 1998 pp 3 5 Simonsen Erik 2016 A Complete History of U S Combat Aircraft Fly Off Competitions Winners Losers and What Might Have Been Forest Lake MN Specialty Press p 108 ISBN 978 1 58007 227 4 Dwyer Larry The McDonnell F 4 Phantom II Archived 27 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine aviation history com 31 March 2010 Retrieved 24 March 2012 a b Spick 2000 pp 71 72 Spick 2000 p 74 Marrett 2006 p 18 Spangenberg George Spangenberg Fighter Study Dilemma georgespangenberg com Retrieved 24 March 2012 Thomas Robert McG Jr 9 June 1996 Thomas Connolly 86 Top Gun Admiral Dies The New York Times Archived from the original on 11 November 2017 Retrieved 29 August 2017 A Dictionary of Aviation David W Wragg ISBN 0850451639 1st Edition Published by Osprey 1973 Published by Frederick Fell Inc NY 1974 1st American Edition Page 123 a b c Woolridge Capt E T ed Into the Jet Age Conflict and Change in Naval Aviation 1945 1975 an Oral History Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 1995 ISBN 1 55750 932 8 Spick 1985 pp 9 10 Spick 2000 p 74 Spick 2000 p 112 Gunston and Spick 1983 p 112 a b Jenkins Dennis R F A 18 Hornet A Navy Success Story New York McGraw Hill 2000 ISBN 0 07 134696 1 Spick 2000 pp 110 111 Raytheon AIM 54 Phoenix designation systems net Archived from the original on 1 April 2012 Retrieved 24 January 2022 Dorr 1991 pp 54 55 AIM 7 Sparrow Air Force Archived from the original on 24 January 2022 Retrieved 24 January 2022 Dorr 1991 pp 55 56 a b c d Donald David Northrop Grumman F 14 Tomcat U S Navy today Warplanes of the Fleet London AIRtime Publishing Inc 2004 ISBN 1 880588 81 1 Space Dynamics Laboratory Tactical Air borne Reconnaissance Pod System Completely Digital sdl usu edu Archived from the original on 21 June 2010 Retrieved 22 April 2012 Dorr 1991 p 70 Lake 1994 pp 132 134 a b Lake 2002 p 52 Friedman Norman F 14 The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems Fifth edition Annapolis MD Naval Institute Press 2006 ISBN 1 55750 262 5 Donald 2004 pp 13 15 a b c Lake 2002 pp 53 55 a b U S Navy s F 14D Tomcats Gain JDAM Capability Archived 23 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Navy Newsstand United States Navy 21 March 2003 Retrieved 20 January 2007 a b ROVER System Revolutionizes F 14 s Ground Support Capability Archived 24 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine Navy Newsstand United States Navy 14 December 2005 Retrieved 20 January 2007 Lake 1994 p 138 Jenkins 1997 p 30 Saul Stephanie Cheney Aims Barrage at F 14D Calls keeping jet a jobs program Newsday Washington Bureau 24 August 1989 p 6 Maybe VP Cheney can explain Grumman Long Island Business News 28 July 2000 a b c Spangenberg George Brief History and Background of the F 14 1955 1970 George Spangenberg Oral History Retrieved 23 December 2009 Spangenberg George Exhibit VF 2 George Spangenberg Oral History 8 February 1965 Retrieved 23 December 2009 a b c d Spangenberg George Statement of Mr G A Spangenberg before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee June 1973 George Spangenberg Oral History Retrieved 23 December 2009 a b c d e f g h i Ciminera Mike F 14 Design Evolution Youtube Peninsula Srs Videos Youtube Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 Retrieved 30 October 2016 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Baugher Joe Grumman F 14A Tomcat Archived 24 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Joe Baugher s Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft 13 February 2000 Retrieved 6 May 2010 Leone Dario F 14 Tomcat could land on carrier with missing radome damaged wing Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine theaviationist com Retrieved 10 March 2016 a b Dorr 1991 p 50 F 14A Aircraft No 3 BuNo 157982 Archived 11 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine F 14 Association Retrieved 10 March 2016 a b Sgarlato 1988 pp 40 46 a b c d Spick 2000 p 81 Laurence K Loftin Jr Part II The Jet Age Chapter 10 Technology of the Jet Airplane Turbojet and Turbofan Systems Archived 14 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Quest for Performance The Evolution of Modern Aircraft 29 February 2009 Retrieved 29 January 2009 Lake 1994 pp 130 131 Standard Aircraft Characteristics SAC F 14D PDF Report July 1985 Archived PDF from the original on 1 January 2023 Retrieved 16 January 2023 a b NAVAIR 01 F 14AAD 1A F 14D NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL January 2004 PART 1 CH 2 Section 2 2 Engine pg 2 9 F 14D History and Specifications TopEdge com Top Edge Engineering Archived from the original on 23 December 2016 Retrieved 6 December 2016 NATOPS Flight Manual Navy Model F 14B Aircraft PDF 2001 NAVAIR 01 F14AAP 1 Archived from the original on 9 November 2020 Retrieved 10 August 2023 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link NATOPS Flight Manual Navy Model F 14D Aircraft PDF 2004 NAVAIR 01 F14AAD 1 Gillcrist Paul 1994 TOMCAT The Grumman F 14 Story Schiffer Publishing p 193 ISBN 0 88740 664 5 Graham Bradley NAVY WIDENS BAN ON USE OF F 14 S AFTERBURNERS The Washington Post Dorr 1991 p 51 Holt Ray M The F 14A Tom Cat Microprocessor Archived 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine firstmicroprocessor com 23 February 2009 Retrieved 8 December 2009 Interoperability A Continuing Challenge in Coalition Air Operations Archived 7 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine RAND Monograph Report pp 108 111 Retrieved 16 November 2010 AN ALR 67 V 3 Advanced Special Receiver Archived 3 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Federation of American Scientists Retrieved 29 December 2009 Lake 1994 pp 125 126 Lake 1994 p 137 Rausa Zeno Vinson CVW 11 Vinson CVW 11 report Wings of Gold Summer 1999 Retrieved 8 December 2009 Holmes 2005 pp 16 17 Briefing defenselink mil 5 January 1999 Archived from the original on 2 October 2006 Retrieved 8 December 2009 Cooper Tom In The Claws of the Tomcat Helion amp Company 2021 p 63 Launching the Phoenix and dogfighting against the F 15 Q amp A with F 14 Tomcat RIO Dave Bio Baranek Part 2 3 March 2021 Retrieved 9 August 2023 Cooper Tom In The Claws of the Tomcat Helion amp Company 2021 p 64 Cooper Tom In The Claws of the Tomcat Helion amp Company 2021 pp 64 5 a b Ward Steven R 2014 Immortal Updated Edition A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces Georgetown University Press p 272 ISBN 9781626160323 Archived from the original on 13 March 2023 Retrieved 7 November 2020 Taghvaee Babak 23 August 2018 New Claws for the Persian Cats Key Aero Archived from the original on 31 December 2020 Retrieved 30 December 2020 Integration of AIM 9J and AIM 7E 2 with the Tomcat s weapons system was a temporary solution for Iran and because of that the deputy of Industrial Research and SSJ started working in the 1990s on plans for integrating the Russian Vympel R 27R medium range semi active radar homing AAM with the AWG 9 radar The project was eventually abandoned because of insurmountable technical issues There was a similar project to integrate the short range Vympel R 73E with the F 14 s ire control system but this didn t work because of the lack of an infrared search and track IRST system on Iran s Tomcats The missile s performance when used in conjunction with an F 14 was much inferior to that achieved when it was launched from a MiG 29 Launching the R 73E without input 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Wayback Machine Cradle of Aviation Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 157984 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine National Naval Aviation Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 157988 Archived 4 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Warbird Registry Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 157990 March Field Air Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 Instagram photo by So Many Aircraft Instagram 25 August 2015 Event occurs at 10 07 pm UTC Archived from the original on 23 December 2021 Retrieved 17 May 2016 F 14 Tomcat 158623 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 158978 Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine USS Midway Museum Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 158985 Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Yanks Air Museum Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 158998 Archived 4 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Air Victory Museum Retrieved 27 Match 2013 F 14 Tomcat 158999 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159025 Archived 31 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine Patriot s Point Maritime and Naval Museum Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 159445 Archived 4 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Warbird Registry Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 159448 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159455 Archived 26 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159620 Archived 16 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159626 Archived 23 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159631 Archived 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 Photos Show F 14 Used in Top Gun 2 Production Snared in Carrier s Crash Barricade 15 February 2019 Archived from the original on 18 May 2022 Retrieved 18 May 2022 F 14 Tomcat 159829 Wings Over the Rockies Air amp Space Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159830 Archived 3 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Western Museum of Flight Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 159848 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Tillamook Air Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 159853 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160382 Archived 13 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Museum of Flight Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160386 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160391 Archived 18 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Texas Air Museum Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160395 Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Air Zoo Retrieved 28 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160401 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160403 Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Air Power Museum Retrieved 28 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160441 Archived 29 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Empire State Aeroscience Museum Retrieved 29 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160658 Archived 16 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160661 Archived 16 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160666 Archived 26 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Oakland Aviation Museum Retrieved 28 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160684 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Pima Air amp Space Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160694 Archived 29 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine USS Lexington Museum Retrieved 28 March 2013 Dario Leone 3 November 2019 Did You Know that Maverick s Top Gun F 14 Tomcat Currently Features VF 84 Jolly Rogers Paint Scheme And Is On Display Aboard USS Lexington The Aviation Geek Club Retrieved 14 June 2023 Top Gun Memos by Meredith Jordan F 14 Tomcat 160889 Archived 24 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Pacific Coast Air Museum Retrieved 28 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160898 Palm Springs Air Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160902 Archived 24 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160903 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 160909 Archived 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 27 March 2013 F 14 Tomcat 160914 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat fighter jet Archived 12 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine wakeeney org F 14 Tomcat 161134 Archived 11 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 161598 Archived 27 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Tulsa Air and Space Museum Retrieved 10 December 2015 F 14 Tomcat 161605 Archived 19 February 2014 at the 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Italian Aereonautica amp Difesa magazine Edizioni Monografie SRL December 1988 Spick Mike F 14 Tomcat Modern Fighting Aircraft Volume 8 New York Arco Publishing 1985 ISBN 0 668 06406 4 Spick Mike F 14 Tomcat The Great Book of Modern Warplanes St Paul Minnesota MBI Publishing Company 2000 ISBN 0 7603 0893 4 Stevenson J P Grumman F 14 Vol 25 New York Tab Books 1975 ISBN 0 8306 8592 8 Taghvaee Babak New Claws for the Persian Cats Air International Vol 95 No 3 September 2018 pp 58 63 ISSN 0306 5634 Taghvaee Babak Persian cats of war Air International Vol 100 No 3 March 2021 pp 34 41 ISSN 0306 5634 Thomason Tommy Grumman Navy F 111B Swing Wing Navy Fighters No 41 Simi Valley California Steve Ginter 1998 ISBN 0 942612 41 8 Wilson Stewart Combat Aircraft since 1945 Fyshwick Australia Aerospace Publications 2000 ISBN 1 875671 50 1 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to F 14 Tomcat category F 14 U S Navy fact file Archive and F 14 U S Navy history page F 14 page on NASA Langley site Joe Baugher s Website on Grumman F 14 Tomcat A music video by F 14 pilot from VF 31 while tanking for the last time with a KC 135 titled Boom Operator on YouTube recorded 7 February 2006 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grumman F 14 Tomcat amp oldid 1178979663, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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