The Grumman F-14 Tomcat carrier-based interceptor fighter is a relatively elderly design by contemporary world standards, but continual developments and improvements have maintained its capabilities to the extent that it is still a potent threat and an effective deterrent to any hostile air force unwise enough to threaten US Navy carrier battle groups. Its mix of air-to-air weapons is unmatched by any other interceptor type, and its radar is the most capable long-range airborne interception radar carried by any fighter today. With its mix of weapons, it can attack any target at any altitude from ranges between only a few hundred feet to over 100 miles away. A total of 556 F-14As were procured for the US Navy, while 80 roughly similar machines were purchased by the Iranian government before the downfall of the Shah. The improved F-14B and F-14D have been built and deployed by the Navy in modest numbers.
The Grumman Aircraft Corporation of Bethpage, Long Island had dominated the market for US Navy carrier-based fighters ever since the early 1930s, creating one successful design after another. The FF, F2F and F3F biplane fighters, the F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat monoplane fighters of the Second World War, and the postwar F8F Bearcat and the jet-powered F9F Panther and Cougar fighters had dominated the decks of Navy carriers for nearly three decades. However, by the mid-1950s the Grumman company seemed to be running out of gas and was beginning to lose its edge over its competitors. In 1953, the company's Design 97 proposal, a single-seat fighter powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet, lost out to the Vought F8U Crusader. The Design 118 project, a two-seat missile-armed interceptor powered by a pair of General Electric J79 turbojets, had initially been ordered by the Navy as the F12F- 1, but was cancelled in favor of the McDonnell XF4H-1 Phantom in 1955 before any aircraft could be built. Even the successful Design 98 (F11F Tiger) had its production career cut short in favor of more Crusaders for the Fleet.
In the early 1960s, In search of more business, Grumman had collaborated with General Dynamics in the development of a carrier-based escort fighter version of the TFX, the F-111B. The F-111B had the same swing-wing geometry as did the F-111A Air Force tactical fighter version, but was equipped with a Hughes AN/AWG-9 long range search radar and was armed with a battery of six Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles. It was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney TF30 turbofans. However, as the 1960s wore on, the F-111B began to encounter some severe difficulties, especially with an ever-increasing weight. In spite of herculean efforts on the part of Grumman, the weight problems ultimately proved to be incurable, and the axe finally fell in May of 1968, when the US Congress refused to fund F-111B production, officially terminating the program.
Even before the final cancellation took place, Grumman management had seen the handwriting on the wall with the trouble-ridden F-111B program. They concluded that they had better have some sort of alternative project in mind should the F-111B project end up being cancelled, lest the successful Grumman line of Navy fighters come to an end. Consequently, even before the F-111B project was officially terminated, Grumman began work on a company-funded project known as Design 303. The basic goals of Design 303 were to combine the particular aptitudes of the F-111B with capabilities that would be superior to those of the McDonnell F-4 Phantom, particularly in the air superiority, escort fighter, and deck-launched interception role. At an early stage, Grumman decided on a tandem rather than a side-by-side seating arrangement for the two crew members. The armament was to consist of a mix of Sparrow semi-active radar homing missiles, Sidewinder infrared homing missiles, and Phoenix long-range missiles. A built-in 20-mm rotary cannon was to be included as standard equipment.
On June 18, 1968, only a month after the F-111B project was cancelled, the Navy issued a request for Contract Definition Phase proposals in search of an alternative. The RFP issued to the industry a month later specifically mentioned a requirement for a fleet defense fighter with tandem two-seat crew accommodations, a mix of short, medium, and long-range missiles, an internal cannon, two TF-30 turbofans, and track-while-scan long-range radar. The new fighter was to be capable of patrolling 100-200 miles from its carrier, remaining on station for up to two hours. A secondary close support role was also envisaged for the aircraft, and the plane was to be capable of carrying up to 14,500 pounds of bombs. Maximum speed was to be Mach 2.2. Grumman, General Dynamics, Ling-Temco-Vought, McDonnell Douglas, and North American Rockwell submitted bids. Four out of five of the submissions were for variable-geometry designs. In December 1968, Grumman and McDonnell Douglas were selected as finalists. Grumman had the inside track in this particular contest, and was announced as the winner on January 14, 1969. The designation F-14 was assigned. Grumman was awarded a research, development, test, and evaluation contract on February 3, 1969. During fiscal year 1971, contracts were signed for 12 prototypes and 26 production aircraft.
The project which Grumman's design team, led by Mike Pelehach, had submitted was for a two-seat, twin jet aircraft with the pilot and weapons system officer seated in tandem under a single elongated canopy. The powerplant was to be a pair of afterburning Pratt & Whitney TF30 turbofans, which had also powered the abortive F-111B.
A description of the F-14 will follow in the next two articles.
The winning Grumman design (Design 303E) featured engines in separate nacelles, set well apart from each other so that damage to one of them would have minimal effect on the other. The main central and rear area of the fuselage consisted of two separate engine nacelles joined together by a shallow flat area known as a "pancake". At the extreme rear of the aircraft, this pancake is little more than a decking between the engine pods. This leaves a deep tunnel between the engines which imposes a drag penalty. However, it adds to overall lift, gives an extra attachment area for weapons pylons, and provides some additional fuselage space for fuel and equipment. The rear part of the broad between-engines pancake is gently curved upwards to reduce both the supersonic trim drag and the negative zero-lift supersonic pitching moment. There are door-type speed brakes at the rear of the pancake both above and below, the lower brake being split in two to accommodate the arrester hook. At the extreme end of the decking are a large fuel dump pipe and housings for electronic warfare equipment.
A similar arrangement was used in the Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters, which were designed much later. One of the problems with this configuration is that it puts the thrust line of each engine rather far outboard from the centerline, producing sudden and violent nose slices (rotation in yaw) in the event of an engine failure.
Most of the aircraft structure was made of conventional aluminum alloys, with some components being made up of steel. About 25 percent of the empty weight was made up of titanium alloy, which was used for the wing box, wing pivots, upper and lower wing skins, the intakes, rear fuselage skins, as well as the hydraulic lines.
The wings feature variable sweep, ranging from a minimum of 20 degrees to a maximum of 68 degrees (which could be set manually on the ground to as much as 75 degrees for carrier stowage). The variable-sweep wing panels are supported by a massive wing carry-through structure which spans the upper center section of the aircraft, terminating at each end in a large pivot point for the outer moveable wing panels. This carry-through structure is made from electron-beam welded titanium alloy. The fixed wing glove structure forms a diamond-shaped surface. The beam has slight dihedral to reduce the cross sectional area of the central fuselage, reducing drag and assisting in the area-ruling of the fuselage. In order to maintain a snug fit between the trailing edge of the wing and the upper surface of the rear fuselage, the rear edges of the fixed wing glove uses a set of inflatable canvas bags. Teflon paint on the underside of the wing help to ensure that there is minimal abrasion of these bags as the wings are extended or retracted.
Wing sweep angle is automatically controlled by the air-data computer. Throughout the entire speed/maneuver regime, an automatic wing sweep program matches the sweep angle to the optimal position. However, the system can be manually overridden by the pilot in an emergency. Should the wings get stuck in the fully-aft position, the F-14A can still land safely at 200 mph with 4000 pounds of fuel or at 166 mph with 2000 pounds of fuel, in spite of the fact that the wing flaps are inoperative when the wing is swept.
The wing has no conventional ailerons, roll control being provided at low speeds by wing-mounted spoilers and at high speeds by the differentially-moving horizontal tailplane. The full-span trailing edge flaps have a small inboard section and a larger outboard section. These flaps are deliberately made inoperative when the wing is swept back to prevent damage. Leading-edge maneuvering slats occupy virtually the full span of the outer wing panel leading edge. To improve combat maneuverability, the slats and outboard flap sections can be deployed while the wing is in the fully-forward position. When wing sweep is greater than 57 degrees, the wing spoilers are locked down, and roll control is provided completely by the differentially-moving horizontal stabilizers.
Air is admitted to the engines via two large, rectangular-shaped, sharp-lipped intakes, one mounted on each side of the fuselage. The edges of the intakes are swept sharply backward from top to bottom, ensuring that adequate amounts of air get into the engine at high angles of attack. These intakes are mounted well outboard of the fuselage sides, far enough away that turbulent boundary layer air is kept from entering the engine without the use of complex diffuser systems such as those fitted to the F-4 Phantom. Because of the overall dihedral of the wing glove box, the intakes are canted outwards at the bottom. However, even at the top of the intakes where they are closest to the fuselage, the inner wall of the intake is still at least 8 inches away from the fuselage.
The intakes are of multi-ramp wedge configuration and offer a straight path for the air entering the engines. Each intake has a pair of adjustable ramps attached to the upper part of the inner intake. Hydraulic actuators in the upper part of the intake adjust the positions of the first and second ramps in the upper surface of the inlet and of the diffuser ramp located further aft, reducing the inlet air to subsonic velocity before admitting it to the engine. A gap between the back edge of the second ramp and the leading edge of the diffuser ramp allows bleed air to escape from the inlet, passing overboard via a bleed-air door in the outer surface of the inlet. The inlet ramps are under the automatic control of a computer, which calculates the optimal position for the ramps based on engine speed, air temperature, air pressure, and angle of attack. At supersonic speeds, the hinged panels narrow down the throat area while diverting the excess airflow out of the ducts through aft-facing spill doors at the top of the intakes. At low speeds (especially during takeoff) when more engine air is needed, this airflow is reversed and extra air is sucked in.
Two small triangular-shaped vanes were mounted on the leading edge of the wing gloves. These vanes are normally retracted, but are extended at supersonic speeds under the control of the air-data computer. The purpose of these vanes is to generate additional lift ahead of the aircraft's center of gravity, which helps to compensate for a nose-down pitching moment that takes place at supersonic speeds. These vanes are automatically deployed when the speed exceeds Mach 1.4 in order to push up the nose and unload the tailplanes, giving them enough authority to pull 7.5 g at Mach 2. The vanes can be manually deployed between Mach 1 and Mach 1.4, but will not operate when the wing sweep is less than 35 degrees because that would lead to too much pitch instability at low speeds.
The original Design 303E featured a single tall vertical fin and a folding ventral strake. At Navy insistence, Grumman switched to a twin-tail configuration at the last minute and replaced the large folding strake with two smaller fixed strakes mounted underneath each engine nacelle. Each of the twin tail fins holds a conventional rudder for yaw control. The twin tail fins provide an effective means of countering destabilizing flow generated by the air intakes during sustained flight at high angles of attack. In addition, the dual rudders have the added advantage of reduced height for carrier stowage.
The two-seat, tandem cockpit is enclosed by a single-piece clamshell-type canopy. The pilot is in front, and the radar intercept officer is in the rear. The crew members sit on Martin-Baker GRU-7A rocket-propelled ejector seats which can be used from zero altitude/zero airspeed up to 450 knots airspeed. There is minimal duplication of controls and instruments for the pilot and the radar intercept officer. The pilot has three displays for viewing flight, navigation and tactical data, including armament controls and flight instruments. The aft cockpit has controls and displays for the AWG-9 fire control system. The back-seater operates the radar, identifies the adversary, and guides the pilot in making an effective interception. Unlike in the Phantom, either crew member can fire a missile.
The engines for the F-14A are a pair of Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412 axial flow turbofans, each rated at 12,350 lb.s.t. dry and 20,900 lb.s.t with afterburning. The TF30-P-412 was essential similar to the TF30-P-12 that had been used for the F-111B. The exhaust features a variable-geometry nozzle with movable petals which slide on curved tracks to close down to minimum area for subsonic cruise and fully opened to a convergent and then divergent profile for afterburning flight during takeoff and at supersonic speeds. The F-14 employs a system known as Direct Lift Control (DLC) for automatic control of attitude during carrier landings. When DLC is engaged, the spoilers on the upper wing pup up into what is known as the "neutral" position. When these spoilers are lowered, instant lift is generated with no need for an attitude change.
For its primary interception role, the F-14 is equipped with the Hughes AN/AWG-9 radar fire control system. The AWG-9 has the ability to carry out near-simultaneous long-range missile launches against up to six targets while tracking 24 more. The antenna is a 36-inch flat plate unit. The IFF antennae are mounted directly on the plate and take the form of an array of dipoles. the output power is 10.2 kilowatts. The AWG-9 can look down into ground or sea clutter, detecting and tracking small targets flying at low level. The clutter is removed by a signal processor which uses analog filtering.
The single-wheeled main landing gear elements retract forwards into wells inside the wing glove, rotating 90 degrees to lie flat. The twin-wheeled nose unit retracts forward into a well in the nose.
Integral fuel tanks are provided between the wing spars of the outer section, holding 295 US gallons each. The tapering section of the rear fuselage aft of the wing carry-through structure carries an additional 648 US gallons of fuel, and a 691-US gallon tank is fitted between the cockpit and wing carry-through structure. Two feeder tanks combined offer a 456-gallon capacity, bringing total internal fuel capacity to 2385 US gallons. A 267-gallon external drop tank can be carried on hardpoints underneath each air intake. The Tomcat is equipped for in-flight refuelling via a retractable probe on the starboard side of the fuselage.
Early Tomcats were equipped with a gimbal-mounted AN/ALR-23 infrared detection set mounted underneath the nose that could be slaved to the radar or used independently to scrutinize areas not searched by the radar. Its indium antimonide detectors were cooled by a self-contained Stirling-cycle cryogenic system. In practice, this IR sensor proved to be ineffective, and was replaced by the Northrop AXX-1 Television Camera Set (TCS), which consists of a television camera fitted with a stabilized telephoto lens. Displays appear on both the pilot's and the WSO's control panels. The system can be used to spot an enemy visually and to identify him early, hopefully preventing Tomcat pilots from shooting down friendlies. The first production installation of the TCS was incorporated in 161597, the first Block 125 aircraft.
The Central Air Data Computer (CADC) is an AiResearch CP-1166B/A. It uses data from sensors which measure pitot and static pressures, air temperatures, and angle attack to select the optimal wing sweep angle and sends commands to the control surfaces. It also passes to the Air Inlet Control Systems (AICS) the information it needs to set the inlet ramps to their optimal positions. The AN/ARA-63 aircraft approach control system uses the AN/SPN-41 and the AN/TRN-28 transmitting sets. It provides primary or backup instrument approach capability.
The spine of the Tomcat contains blade antennae for the UHF/TACAN and data link/IFF. Radio and navigation equipment on board the aircraft include the APX-71 IFF transponder, AXX-76 IFF interrogator, ARC-51 (later switched to ARC-159) UHF radios, ARR-69 auxiliary receiver, KY-58 cryptographic system, ASN-92 CAINS II (Carrier Aircraft Inertial Navigation System II) inertial navigation system, APN-154 beacon augmenter, APN-194 radar altimeter, Gould ARN-84 TACAN and ARA-50 automatic direction finder. A Harris ASW-27B digital datalink provides high speed data communication between the Tomcat and ship-based command and control systems. This system can also be used to link to the Airborne Tactical Data Systems of Grumman E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft. This system can be used to pass target data back and forth between aircraft, extending the effective radar range.
The Tomcat initially carried APR-25 and APR-27 radar warning receivers. These have largely been replaced by the Magnavox ALR-50 which is designed to warn crews of SAM launches. A major upgrade updated this equipment to deal with the SA-6 Gainful missile and its associated Straight Flush radar. The Tomcat is equipped with the Goodyear ALE-39 chaff and flare dispensing system, which has replaced the ALE-29 originally carried. The Tomcat entered service with the Sanders Associateds ALQ-100 noise deception jammer, but this has been replaced with the Sanders AN/ALQ-126A.
Even today, the armament of the F-14A Tomcat remains the most potent of that of any interceptor currently in service. It has four basic components--an internal cannon and Sidewinder infrared homing missiles for short-range encounters, Sparrow semi-active radar homing missiles for intermediate-range encounters, and Phoenix missiles for long-range encounters. All of these weapons are directed and controlled by the powerful AN-AWG-9 fire control system.
Fire-Control System:
The heart of the Tomcat's weapons system is the powerful Hughes AN/AWG-9 fire control system. The AWG-9 has the ability to carry out near-simultaneous long-range missile launches against up to six targets while tracking 24 more. The set incorporates a lightweight 5400B digital computer. The antenna is a 36-inch flat plate unit. The IFF antennae are mounted directly on the plate and take the form of an array of dipoles. The output power is 10.2 kilowatts. The AWG-9 can look down into ground or sea clutter, detecting and tracking small targets flying at low level. The clutter is removed by a signal processor which uses analog filtering.
Phoenix:
The Hughes AIM-54A Phoenix missile is the primary armament of the F-14A, and the Tomcat was originally designed with this missile in mind. The Phoenix missile is propelled by a single-stage Rocketdyne MK47 solid-fuel rocket motor, which gives a velocity at burnout of Mach 3.8 at low altitudes, although Mach 5 can be achieved at high altitudes in the long-range mode. The missile has four fixed delta-shaped wings and is steered by tail-mounted control surfaces. On trials, the missile has been able to maneuver at 17 g. The fuselage and aerodynamic surfaces of the Phoenix are made from metal, but the fuselage is covered with ablative thermal insulation. The missile is 13.2 feet long, the body is 13 inches wide, and the wing span is 3 feet. The launch weight is about 985 pounds The missile has a 132-pound high-explosive warhead. So far as I am aware, the Phoenix is not nuclear-capable.
After launch, the Phoenix can use three different types of guidance - autopilot, semi-active radar homing, and fully-active radar homing. For long-range shots, the missile generally flies a pre-programmed route immediately after launch under autopilot control. At midcourse, the nose-mounted radar seeker takes over, operating in semi-active mode, homing in on radar waves reflected off the target from the Tomcat's AWG-9 radar. Once it gets within about 14 miles of the target, the Phoenix's own radar takes over for the final run in to the target, and the missile operates in fully-active radar homing mode.
At this time the missile is completely independent of its launching aircraft, and becomes "fire-and-forget". Some reports have suggested the existence of a "flyout" mode in which the missile can be launched at heavily-jammed targets upon which the AWG-9 radar is unable to achieve a lock. In such a mode, the missile flies most of the way to the target under autopilot control, switching over to its built-in seeker for the final approach.
One of the more advanced features of the AWG-9/Phoenix weapons system is the ability to track and engage multiple targets at the same time. Track-While-Scan (TWS) mode is used for multiple-target tracking and multi-shot Phoenix engagements. As each target within the region of sky being scanned is detected, the AWG-9 determines its range and angular position and this information is passed along to the computer where it is compared to the predicted positions of the targets already detected. If the newly-detected target can be correlated with an already-known target, the target's track file is updated with the current position. If not, then a new track file is opened for what is presumed to be a new target. The computer then assigns threat priorities to each track. In this mode, each target is not continually illuminated by the radar, and the Phoenix missile guidance system receives only samples of radar data. Maximum missile range in this mode is about 90 km.
In Range-While-Search (RWS) mode, the set provides range and angular data without stopping the normal antenna TWS search pattern.
The Pulse-Doppler Single-Target Track (PDSTT) mode is used when a single target is to be tracked. The AWG-9 antenna is locked on to a single long-range target at ranges of up to 130 km. The missile can be launched at 100 km range. A Jam Angle Track (JAT) facility can be use to provide range, speed, and angular information on targets being protected by ECM. In this mode, the radar can be slaved to the aircraft's electro-optical sighting unit. The AWG-9 also has conventional pulse modes for use at short and medium ranges.
On maximum-range missions, the Phoenix is usually lofted into a high trajectory designed to reduce interference between the AWG-9's powerful transmitter and the missile's receiving system. The flight time on such missions can be up to three minutes.
The Tomcat has the capability of carrying up to six Phoenix missiles, four on individual pallets mounted underneath the fuselage and one on each of the fixed wing glove pylons. However, in typical operations, the usual weapons load is four Phoenix, two Sparrows, and two Sidewinders. The original specification called for six Phoenix missiles, but it was found that the deck impacts during carrier landings were too hard when carrying six Phoenix missiles, so the full load of six Phoenixes is rarely carried.
The first Phoenix launch from a Tomcat took place on April 28, 1972. During a later test, a Phoenix missile hit a target which had been flying at a distance of 116 miles when the missile was launched. In November 22, 1973 a single Tomcat fired six Phoenix missiles in 38 seconds while flying at Mach 0.78 at 24,800 feet over Point Mugu, California. The targets were six drones. One Phoenix missile failed and a second was released against a drone which veered off course, but the other four scored direct hits. In other tests, the AWG-9/Phoenix combination has scored hits against Bomarc missiles simulating the MiG-25 Foxbat and against drones simulating the Tu-26 Backfire. Others test verified the capability of the Phoenix against sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles and against violently-maneuvering targets. The AIM-54A was approved for service use on January 28, 1975.
The AIM-54B had improved resistance to jamming, and was introduced into service in 1983. It had sheet-metal wings and fins instead of honeycomb structure, non-liquid hydraulic and thermal conditioning system, and somewhat simplied engineering. The AIM-54C had a higher-thrust motor, an improved warhead, fully solid-state electronics, and an improved fuse that was better capable of detonating the warhead at the precise moment to maximize its destructive effect on the target. The AIM-54C has better electronic counter-countermeasures capability, allowing it to cope with small, low-altitude targets, being able to discriminate between the true target and any "chaff" that might be released in an attempt to break lock-on. The AIM-54C has the ability to take on targets at greater range or higher altitudes than can the A version, and can cope with higher degrees of target maneuverability. The goal was to make the Phoenix a better counter against the Soviet AS-4 Kitchen and AS-6 Kingfish stand-off missiles. The move to field an improved Phoenix missile may have been at least partly spurred by the fear that the Soviets may have been able to get their hands on one or more of the earlier AIM-54As that had been supplied to Iran before the fall of the Shah and the rise of the Islamic fundamentalist regime that now controls that country.
It is not very often that Phoenix missiles are fired during training, since they cost over a million dollars a shot. The Phoenix missile has never been fired in actual combat.
Sparrow:
The AIM-7C, D, and E versions of the Sparrow semi-active radar homing missile were used in Vietnam with disappointing results. The Sparrow had originally been designed to attack subsonic, non-maneuvering, large targets such as bombers. If fired against maneuvering targets or against targets flying below 5000 feet, it usually missed. In the Vietnam War, only 9 percent of the Sparrows launched in anger actually hit their targets. In all fairness, however, some of the disappointing results with the Sparrow can be blamed on the Rules of Engagement that were in force at the time, which generally forbade the launch of Sparrows during beyond visible range encounters (where they could have been the most effective), lest they inadvertently be fired against friendlies.
The first Sparrow version to be used by the F-14A was the AIM-7E-2, which had been used in the latter stages of the Vietnam war. It contained numerous "fixes" intended to to cure some of the problems of reliability that had been encountered in Vietnam. Among these were the use of clipped wings, an improved autopilot, and better fusing. In the AIM-7F that was first introduced in 1977, solid-state electronics were substituted for the miniature vacuum tubes of the earlier versions. This miniaturization enabled the warhead to be moved forward of the wings, with the aft part of the missile being devoted almost entirely to the rocket motor. The extra space that was made available by the introduction of solid-state miniaturization made it possible to introduce a dual-thrust booster/sustainer rocket motor that enabled the effective range of the Sparrow to be essentially doubled (up to 28-30 miles) in a head-on engagement. The AIM-7L had fewer tubes and more solid state features. The AIM-7M introduced in 1982 featured a inverse-processed digital monopulse seeker which was more difficult to detect and jam and provided better look-down, shoot-down capability. The AIM-7P was fitted with improved guidance electronics including an on-board computer based on VLSIC technology. It is intended to have better capability against small targets such as cruise missiles and sea-skimming antiship missiles.
The AIM-7M is 12 feet long and has a launch weight of about 500 pounds. The missile carries a 85-pound high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead. It has two sets of delta-shaped fins--a set of fixed fins at the rear of the missile and a set of movable fins at the middle of the missile for steering.
The AIM-7M is usually carried in pairs on the bottom rail of the wing glove pylons of the Tomcat, but up to four additional Sparrows can be carried semi-recessed in slots underneath the belly. However, this space is usually reserved for four AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. After Sparrow missile launch, the F-14 must continue to illuminate the target with its radar in order for the missile to home in for a kill. For the F-14, this means staying within a 65-degree cone so that the antenna of the AWG-9 will be able to follow the target.
Sidewinder:
The Sidewinder infrared homing missile dates back to 1956, but the missile has been continuously upgraded over the years. The Tomcat can carry four AIM-9 Sidewinders (two on each wing glove pylon), but the usual load is two, mounted one each on outboard shoulder pylons attached to the fixed wing glove section.
Early F-14As carried the AIM-9J, which was the first major post-Vietnam improvement of the Sidewinder missile. The J model had an expanded target-engagement cone which enabled it to be launched at any spot in the rear half of a target aircraft rather than merely at its exhaust. Compared with the Vietnam-era AIM-9G, it had a more powerful motor and an improved warhead. The AIM-9J introduced the Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode (SEAM), which slaved the seeker head of the missile to the radar when in "dogfight" mode, which enabled the AIM-9J seeker head to be uncaged, slewed toward a specific target by the aircraft radar, and made to track that particular target only. The AIM-9H introduced some minor improvements. The AIM-9L introduced in 1979 was "all-aspect", and was no longer limited to engaging an enemy aircraft from the rear. The seeker head was more sensitive and was able to pick up heat from the friction off the leading edges of an aircraft's wing and was able to distinguish between aircraft and decoy flares. The AIM-9L also uses a higher-impulse rocket motor, a more powerful warhead, and a proximity fuse rigged to blow outward toward the target in order to ensure better probability of a kill. The AIM-9M introduced in 1982 had better capability to distinguish between aircraft and decoy flares, and has a low-smoke rocket motor so that it is less likely to be seen by its prey. The number of vacuum tubes was reduced to two.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is 9.4 feet long, has a wingspan of 25 inches and a diameter of 5 inches. The missile has four tail fins on the rear, with a "rolleron" at the tip of each fin. These "rollerons" are spun at high speed by the slipstream in order to provide roll stability. The missile is steered by four canard fins mounted in the forward part of the missile just behind the infrared seeker head. The Sidewinder missile has a launch weight of about 180 pounds, and a maximum effective range of about 10 miles. The blast-fragmentation warhead weighs 21 pounds. Despite the advanced age of the basic design, the all-aspect Sidewinder remains a potent threat, exceeded in effectiveness perhaps only by the Russian-built Molniya/Vympel R-73 (known in the West as the AA-11 Archer) which combines aerodynamic and thrust-vectoring control systems.
Cannon
For really close-in encounters, the Tomcat is provided with an internally-mounted cannon. The 20mm General Electric M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon is carried on the port side of the forward fuselage. A muzzle gas diffuser is fitted to prevent gun gases from getting sucked into the engine intakes where they could cause engine flameouts. A total of 675 rounds of ammunition are carried in a drum. When the guns are fired, the empty cases are returned to the drum rather than being ejected overboard.
Bombs:
The F-14A can carry up to 14,500 pounds of bombs and rockets, although it was not assigned a ground-attack mission. The under-fuselage pallets which ordinarily carry Phoenix missiles can also mount bomb racks for 1000-pound Mk 83 or 2000-pound Mk 84 bombs or other free-fall weaponry. VF-122 dropped the first bombs from a Fleet Tomcat on August 8, 1990. For a while, an advanced bomb-equipped F-14 Tomcat was pictured as a replacement for the General Dynamics A-12 Avenger II, cancelled in December 1990. Today, the training syllabus includes some emphasis on air-to-ground strike, although such missions would only be carried out in a relatively permissible combat environment because of the high cost of the Tomcat. The Tomcat can carry only conventional "dumb" bombs, and has no precision-guided munition capability except when operating in conjunction with a separate laser designator aircraft.
Specification of the Grumman F-14A Tomcat:
Two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A/414A turbofans, each rated at 12,350 lb.s.t. dry and 20,900 lb.s.t with afterburning. Maximum speed: 1544 mph (Mach 2.34) at 40,000 feet, 912 mph at sea level. Cruising speed 610 mph. Initial climb rate 32,500 peet per minute. Service ceiling 55,000 feet, maximum unrefuelled range 2400 miles. Landing speed 132 knots. Minimum takeoff distance 1400 feet. Radius on combat air patrol with six Sparrows and four Sidewinders 766 miles. Dimensions: wingspan 64 feet 1 2/1 inches (swept forward), 83 feet 2 1/2 inches (swept back), length 62 feet 8 inches, height 16 feet 0 inches, wing area 565 square feet. Weights: 40,104 pounds empty, 59,7614 pounds loaded, 74,349 pounds maximum takeoff. Fuel: Maximum internal fuel 2385 US gallons. A 267 US-gallon drop tank can be carried on a hardpoint underneath each air intake. Armament: One 20-mm General Electric M61A1 Vulcan in the nose with 675 rounds. Provision for six AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, or six AIM-54A/C Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders, or four AIM-54A/C Phoenix missiles underneath the fuselage and two AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders on the wing glove pylons.
The first F-14A was finally ready for rollout in late 1970. Taxi trials of the first F-14A Tomcat (BuNo 157980) began at Calverton on December 14, 1970. On December 21, project test pilot William (Bob) Millar and company chief test pilot Robert Smythe made the first flight, which was a short hop with the wings kept in the fully-forward position. This flight was uneventful.
Disaster struck on the second test flight on December 30. During this flight, the aircraft suffered a primary hydraulic system failure and began to trail smoke. Millar and Smythe immediately turned the plane back to the Calverton field, and used the emergency nitrogen bottle to blow down the landing gear in preparation for an emergency landing. However, just before reaching the end of the runway, the secondary hydraulic system also failed and both crewmen were forced to eject. Both Millar and Smythe survived with only minor injuries, but the aircraft was destroyed.
The second Tomcat (157981) went aloft for the first time on May 24, 1971, piloted by Robert Smythe. Twenty Tomcats were built in the initial run for flight trials. Tomcat #2 (157981) was assigned the job of the exploration of the low-speed flight regime and also was to carry out the stall/spin trials. It had its wings locked in the 20-degree (fully-open) position and the air intakes locked in the fully-open configuration. Tomcat #3 (157982) was to explore the outer reaches of the performance envelope and flew trials with steadily increasing loads and speeds. Tomcats Nos. 4, 5, and 6 (157983, 157984, and 157985) went to NAS Point Mugu, California for weapons system integration work. No. 7 (157986) later became the test ship for the F-14B with F401 engines. Nos. 9 and 11 (157988 and 157991) went to Point Mugu for radar evaluation and auxiliary weapons trials, respectively.
Tomcat #10 (157989) was delivered to the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland for structural trials and carrier compatibility work. On June 30, 1972, it crashed into the water while preparing for an airshow at Patuxent, killing test pilot Bob Millar, who had survived the crash of the first F-14. It was replaced on carrier-compatibility tests by No. 17. No. 12 replaced the lost No. 1 on high speed flight trials. Completing the trials fleet were No. 8 (aerodynamic trials and production configuration), No. 13 (anechoic chamber work for compatibility of the electromagnetic systems), No. 14 (maintenance and reliability work), No. 20 (climatic trials at Point Mugu), and Nos. 15, 16, 18, and 19 (initial pilot conversion).
157984, Tomcat #5 assigned to Point Mugu for armament trials, had the rather dubious honor of shooting itself down on June 20, 1973. A AIM-7E-2 Sparrow missile pitched up moments after being launched, striking the Tomcat. The crew ejected safely.
Block 70 (beginning with 159978) introduced the production standard wing glove fairing with shorter outboard wing fences on the top.
The beaver tail and air brake were modified from BuNo 159241 onward (the first Block 75 Tomcat). Earlier aircraft had their beaver tails cut down (with dielectric fairings removed) to a similar shape. The last Block 85 aircraft (159588) introduced the new AN/ARC-159 UHF radio in place of the AN/ARC-51A.
From 159825 (the first Block 90), a small angle of attack probe was added to the tip of the nose radome. High angle of attack performance was also improved by the provision for automated maneuvering flaps.
From Block 100 onward, a slip clutch and coupler installation was added to the flap/slat system, fuel system changes were made, AN/AWG-9 reliability improvements were incorporated, and numerous anti-corrosion measures such as seals, baffles, and drain holes were introduced.
The last aircraft of Block 110 (BuNo 161168) introduced AN/ALQ-126 antenna to the beaver tail and above and below the wing gloves.
10 early Block 60/65 F-14As (BuNos 158613/158618, 158620, 158624, and 158626/158637) were refurbished and modified to Block 130 standards for service with VF-201 and VF-202 at NAS Dallas.
The original Tomcat contract signed in 1969 covered 12 prototypes and options for 429 production aircraft at an agreed-upon fixed price. The fixed-price contract was an innovation of the McNamara years at the Defense Department. However, a wave of high inflation hit the economies of the US and most Western nations during the early 1970s, and the price terms of the original contract soon became unworkable and Grumman started losing money on each plane it delivered to the Navy. In March of 1971, the company asked the Navy to re-negotiate the contract. Initially, the Navy refused, but Grumman angrily retorted that the company could not continue much longer to deliver Tomcats at the promised price without going out of business. In March of 1973 it reached a compromise with the Navy under which the first 134 production aircraft would be delivered under the original fixed price, with the price of the follow-on Tomcats being re-negotiated with the Navy. The Navy agreed to provide Grumman with a $200 million loan to keep the company going until the re-negotiated prices became effective.
This loan agreement stirred up controversy in the press, with Grumman being accused (somewhat unjustly) of turning around and investing the Navy loan it had just received in short-term government securities for a quick profit. In August of 1974, Congress voted to terminate the Grumman loan as a result of the controversy. However, by this time Grumman had a new customer for the Tomcat, the Shah of Iran. The Iranian state Bank Melli provided a $75 million loan to Grumman, and armed with this backing Grumman approached a consortium of US banks and was able to get a loan for the remaining $125 million, ensuring that the Tomcat program could continue.
Three early F-14As were delivered in the autumn of 1972 to VX-4 at NAS Point Mugu, California for operational evaluation. The replacement squadron VF-124 at NAS Miramar received its first Tomcats in June of 1972. The job of VF-124 was to train Tomcat crews for duty with operational carrier-based squadrons. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons were VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters, both based at NAS Miramar. These units deployed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in mid-1974.
The first East Coast squadron to become operational with the Tomcat was VF-14 Tophatters, joined shortly thereafter by VF-32 Swordsmen. These units put to sea in June of 1975 aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67). Over the next nine years, almost all Navy deployable fighter squadrons exchanged their Phantoms for Tomcats. The last to do so were VF-21 and VF-154, which traded in their F-4Ns for F-14As in September of 1983. Two new squadrons, VF-191 and VF-194, were formed with F-14As in 1986, but were both disbanded in April 1988 when budget cuts led to a reduction in force.
F-14As began replacing F-4S Phantoms in the reserves in October of 1984. Tomcats currently equip four Reserve Fighter Squadrons, VF-201 and VF-202 at NAS Dallas and VF-301 and VF-302 at NAS Miramar.
As compared with the best existing USN fighters, the Tomcat offered a 21 percent increase in acceleration and sustained g-force, 20 percent increase in rate of climb, 27 percent increase in maneuvering capability, and a 40 percent improvement in turning radius. At a high throttle setting, the Tomcat can hold a steady angle of attack of about 77 degrees. Maximum design speed of the Tomcat is Mach 2.4, but the Navy sets a limit of about Mach 2.25 for service aircrew. The aircraft can execute an 180-degree 6.5-g turn of 1800 feet radius in 10 seconds without loss of speed. The Tomcat can hold 6.5 g at Mach 2.2, and can accelerate from loiter to Mach 1.8 in 75 seconds. Armed with four Phoenix, two Sparrows, two Sidewinders, and two external fuel tanks, the Tomcat can loiter on combat air patrol for 90 minutes 280 km from the carrier, or for an hour at a range of 470 km from the carrier. Tactical radius with the same load on a deck-launched interception mission is 317 km with a Mach 1.3 flyout.
The weak point of the Tomcat was in its engines, which were initially a pair of TF30-P-412 axial flow turbofans, rated at 12,350 lb.s.t. dry and 20,900 lb.s.t with afterburning. This engine was essentially similar to the TF30-P-12 that had been used for the F-111B. With this engine, the F-14A was decidedly underpowered. On several occasions, fan blades had broken free from the shaft, damaging the surrounding airframe structure and systems and causing the loss of the aircraft. Very early in the flight test programs there were problems encountered with engine stalls at high angles of attack. These stalls would usually take place when coming either in or out of afterburner or at low power settings when at high angles of attack. These engine problems were exceedingly vexing and resulted in the loss of several aircraft.
Beginning with production block 65, the improved TF30-P-412A engine was fitted. During block 95, which appeared in January of 1977, the P-414 version of the TF30 became available. It incorporated modifications intended to prevent turbine blade cracking and to contain any blade failures that did occur. New compressor blades were made from a revised titanium alloy. The engine contained steel cases wrapped around the first three fan stages as a containment precaution in the event of blades being thrown by the turbine. This engine was first installed in BuNo 160396 (not the first aircraft in the block 95 batch, as had been originally planned). Existing Tomcats were retrofitted with the P-414, and the last TF30-P-412 powered F-14A was finally out of service in the summer of 1979.
The problems with the compressor stalls proved much more difficult to cure, and were not really solved until 1984 when a new and improved variant of the TF30 engine became available. The TF30 turbofan was an extremely fussy engine, and had to be treated with great care by the pilot if compressor stalls were to be avoided. Compressor stalls could occur at any altitude/airspeed combination, but most often they happened at high altitudes and low speeds, when lighting or unlighting the afterburners, or after firing the missiles. Sometimes the engine would immediately recover by itself, but more often than not the stall would "hang", and the engine rpm would begin to decrease and the turbine inlet temperature would start to rise. If not corrected immediately, the aircraft would begin to yaw rapidly back and forth and the aircraft could go into an uncontrollable spin from which the only escape was generally for the crew to eject.
If a low-speed compressor stall took place, the first move for the pilot was to quickly eliminate any g-loading on the aircraft to reduce the risk of an uncontrollable spin, then to retard the throttles to idle in order to reduce the asymmetric thrust, and then to turn the stalled engine completely off, extinguishing the combustor flame and reducing the turbine blade temperature so that the engine--now deprived of its normal airflow--could not overheat and be permanently damaged or perhaps even catch fire. If the stall took place at supersonic speed, the recovery procedure was similar, with the exception that it was not necessary to turn the engines completely off since at supersonic speeds the airflow through the engine is sufficient to cool the turbine. Once the stall is cleared, a windmill engine restart can be attempted if sufficient speed, altitude, and hydraulic pressure are available. Alternatively, a spool-down airstart can be carried out as soon as the turbine inlet temperature has cooled to acceptable levels. If none of these measures worked, the only alternative would be for the crew to eject. Of course, if any of this happened during the stress of combat, the crew would be dead meat.
An improved engine, the TF30-P-414A, became available in early 1981. It involved minor changes for improved reliability and durability, and was intended to eliminate restrictions on how the pilot used engine power, allowing Navy crews to fly their Tomcats through extreme angles of attack and maneuver without having to worry about compressor stalls. The first -414A engines were installed in the F-14A in 1984.
Even with the improved -414A engine, It was found that excessive yaw can blank off the outboard engine intake, leading to an engine flameout. At some airspeed/power setting combinations this can lead to a violent departure, which can lead into a non-recoverable flat spin if the appropriate recovery actions are not taken within a couple of seconds. Unlike many other interceptor aircraft, the Tomcat is not completely optimized for high-speed, high-altitude flight.
The Tomcat can be quite a handful during carrier landings. Unlike the F-4 Phantom, the F-14 aircraft is not stable nor smooth during the glideslope while coming in for a landing. It has relatively high pitch inertia and tends to float. Its high residual thrust enforces the use of relative low engine throttle settings during the approach, resulting in poor engine response which makes recovery difficult if something goes wrong. The poor lateral control makes precise heading control difficult.
In 1980, a Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was introduced. This was a reconnaissance pod that could be attached to the underside of the Tomcat on the left rear Phoenix missile station between the engines. This pod was designed for low- to medium-altitude reconnaissance and carried a KS-87 frame camera (vertical or forward oblique), a KA-99 panoramic camera giving horizon to horizon coverage, and an AAD-5 infrared line scanner. The TARPS pod also carries an AN/ASQ-172 data display system. The pod is controlled from stations installed in the rear cockpit. It imposes very little penalty on aircraft performance or flight characteristics and does not interfere with the carriage or launch of the missiles.
However, TARPS-capable Tomcats must be specially wired in order to carry the pod. This system was first deployed in the second half of 1981, with VF-84 aboard the Nimitz and with VF-122 aboard the Constellation. With the retirement of the last RF-8G Crusaders in the spring of 1982, TARPS- equipped Tomcats became the Navy's primary tactical reconnaissance system. One of the tasks assigned to TARPS-equipped F-14As was the photograph Soviet long-rang surveillance aircraft, documenting and cataloging the different types of equipment carried by these aircraft. It is possible that TARPS- equipped F-14As were used in Central America to spy on the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
The Tomcat initially carried APR-25 and APR-27 radar warning receivers. These have largely been replaced by the Magnavox ALR-50 which is designed to warn crews of SAM launches. A major upgrade updated this equipment to deal with the SA-6 Gainful missile and its associated Straight Flush radar, which were initially so successful against Israeli aircraft during the Yom Kippur War. The Tomcat is equipped with the Goodyear ALE-39 chaff and flare dispensing system, which has replaced the ALE-29 originally carried. The Tomcat initially entered service with the Sanders Associates ALQ-100 noise deception jammer, but this was later replaced with the Sanders AN/ALQ-126A.
The Tomcat was in service just in time to see the closing stages of the Vietnam war in 1975. It flew top cover during Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of US personnel from Saigon in April of 1975 just before that city fell to the North. The North Vietnamese air force did not interfere with the operation, but one Tomcat was slightly damaged by antiaircraft fire.
On September 14, 1976, during a cruise off the Orkney Islands, Tomcat BuNo 159588 went out of control while taxiing and rolled off the deck of the USS John F. Kennedy and fell into the sea. The crew safely ejected before the Tomcat went over the edge, but the plane ended up intact on the ocean floor. Fearful that the Soviets might recover the Tomcat and learn valuable secrets (especially about the Phoenix missile), the Navy mounted a recovery operation designed to fish the aircraft out of the water. After about two months, the lost Tomcat was finally hauled back to the surface.
In August of 1981, the USS Forrestal and Nimitz entered the Gulf of Sidra in the southern Mediterranean to carry out routine training exercises. The Libyan government claimed the entire Gulf of Sidra as its own territorial waters, a claim which the US government did not accept and chose to contest. Libyan aircraft were sent out to monitor the operation. On August 19, two Libyan Su 22 Fitter- J fighters were shot down by a pair of VF-41 Tomcats after one the Fitters fired a missile at the American fighters. Both kills were with AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles. This was the first air battle between variable-geometry fighters.
In late 1983, Tomcats from the USS Eisenhower and Independence flew numerous missions over Lebanon in support of Marines stationed there. TARPS-equipped Tomcats flew reconnaissance missions while other F-14s flew top cover. The Tomcats were fired on by surface-to-air missiles on several occasions, but none were hit. Open conflict between Tomcats and Syrian fighters was avoided.
In April of 1983, two Tomcats operating from the carrier USS America were fired upon by Somali troops while flying over the port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden. These planes were on a prearranged mission, but the Somali forces apparently mistook the Tomcats for Ethiopian attackers. No Tomcats were hit.
In combat operations in Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada in October of 1983, TARPS-equipped Tomcats provided intelligence on troop movements and gun emplacements for invading Marines and Army Rangers.
The Tomcat was instrumental in capturing the Palestinian terrorists who had hijacked the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro and had murdered an American tourist. The hijackers had found refuge in Egypt, where arrangements had been made to fly them to sanctuary in Libya aboard an Egyptair Boeing 737 airliner. On October 19, 1985, seven Tomcats from VF-74 and VF-103 flying from the USS Saratoga (CV-60) intercepted the airliner and forced it to land at Sigonella in Italy. Unfortunately, the intervention of Italian guards prevented Delta Force commandos from snatching the terrorists away to American soil for trial, but the terrorists were prosecuted in Italy.
During operations in the Gulf of Sidra on March 24-26, 1986, numerous strikes were carried out by Navy carrier-based aircraft against Libyan targets, with Tomcats flying top cover, keeping Libyan fighters at bay and dodging SAMs.
Operation El Dorado Canyon took place against Libya on April 15, 1986, with USAF F-111Fs attacking Tripoli while Navy strike aircraft went after Benghazi. The latter raid was top-covered by F-14s.
On January 4, 1989, two F-14As (BuNos 159437 and 159610) from VF-32 flying off the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) shot down a pair of Libyan MiG-23 Floggers. This action was the source of much controversy, since the Libyan fighters did not this time actually fire on the Tomcats. However, the maneuvering pattern of the MiGs in which they repeatedly turned their noses toward the Tomcats even after the F-14s deliberately turned away several times was deemed to be indicative of hostile intent, and the Tomcats were given clearance to fire. Both MiG pilots ejected safely, but the Libyan Air Force was unable to recover them. The TCS provided valuable documentation of the incident, and video tape images of the MiGs demonstrated that they were indeed armed.
There were some Sidewinder firings by Tomcats flown by VF-21 operating aboard the USS Independence (CV-62) during the 1988-1989 reflagged tanker escort operations in the Persian Gulf. At one point, there was an engagement between two VF-21 Tomcats and a pair of Iranian F-4s, with Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles actually being fired. However, these launches were all well out of parameters, and scored no kills. So far as is known, USN and Iranian F-14s never challenged each other.
During Operation Desert Storm of January 1991, Tomcats flew mostly top cover operations in protection of the fleet's carriers and in the escort of strike packages, and did not participate in very much air-to-air combat. The Tomcats are credited with only one kill, which came on February 6 when a pair of F-14s of VF-1 shot down a Mil Mi-8 Hip helicopter with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. One F-14 Tomcat was lost in action on January 21 when it was shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile. The crew ejected safely, with one crewman being picked up by helicopter and the other being taken prisoner.
The last F-14A (162711) was delivered to the Navy on March 31, 1987. After that time, the plans were for production was to shift over to the more advanced F-14D version. However, Tomcat production was abruptly halted in February of 1991 in an economy move. Originally, plans called for the conversion of 400 F-14As to F-14D standards. However, only 18 F-14As have been converted to F-14D(R) configuration, and 32 other have been converted to F-14A Plus (F-14B) configuration.
NASA had operated two F-14A Tomcats at its Dryden Research Facility at Edwards AFB. BuNo 157991 arrived at Dryden on August 8, 1979, and was used in an investigation of flight at low altitude and high angles of attack under asymmetric thrust flight conditions. This plane was returned to the Navy on September of 1985. BuNo 158613 was delivered to Dryden on April 8, 1974 and was assigned the NASA number of 834. It was used for a variable-sweep flight transition experiment. It was returned to the Navy in September of 1987.
The following Navy squadrons have operated the F-14A:
VF-1 Wolfpack, VF-2 Bounty Hunters, VF-11 Red Rippers, VF-14 Top Hatters, VF-21 Freelancers, VF-24 Fighting Renegades, VF-31 Tomcatters, VF-32 Swordsmen, VF-33 Starfighters, VF-41 Black Aces, VF-51 Screaming Eagles, VF-74 Bedevilers, VF-84 Jolly Rogers, VF-101 Grim Reapers, VF-102 Diamondbacks, VF-103 Sluggers, VF-111 Sundowners, VF-114 Aardvarks, VF-124 Gunfighters, VF-142 Ghostriders, VF-143 Pukin' Dogs, VF-154 Black Knights, VF-191 Satan's Kittens, VF-194 Red Lightnings, VF-201 Hunters, VF-202 Superheats, VF-211 Fighting Checkmates, VF-213 Black Lions, VF-301 Devil's Disciples, VF-302 Stallions, VX-4 Evaluators.
Even today, the F-14A Tomcat is still a potent fighter. Against aircraft such as the F-4 or the MiG-23 Flogger the F-14A would have few problems in maintaining air-to-air superiority, but its rate and radius of turn, thrust-to-weight ratio, and high-angle of attack capabilities would leave it at a serious disadvantage against later aircraft such as the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, MiG-29 Fulcrum, or Su-27 Flanker. Nevertheless, its BVR kill capacity is still unmatched.
Serial numbers of F-14A Tomcat:
157980 Grumman F-14A-1-GR Tomcat w/o 12/30/1970 157981 Grumman F-14A-5-GR Tomcat 157982 Grumman F-14A-10-GR Tomcat 157983 Grumman F-14A-15-GR Tomcat 157984 Grumman F-14A-20-GR Tomcat 157985 Grumman F-14A-25-GR Tomcat 157986 Grumman F-14A-30-GR Tomcat modified as F-14B and then as F-14A(Plus). 157987 Grumman F-14A-35-GR Tomcat 157988 Grumman F-14A-40-GR Tomcat 157989 Grumman F-14A-45-GR Tomcat 157990 Grumman F-14A-50-GR Tomcat 157991 Grumman F-14A-55-GR Tomcat 158612/158619 Grumman F-14A-60-GR Tomcat 158614 modified for TARPS pod. 158613/158618 later modified to Block 130 standards. 158620/158637 Grumman F-14A-65-GR Tomcat 158620,158637 modified for TARPS pod. 158620,158624,158626/158637 later modified to Block 130 standards. 158978/159006 Grumman F-14A-70-GR Tomcat 159007/159025 Grumman F-14A-75-GR Tomcat 159421/159429 Grumman F-14A-75-GR Tomcat 159430/159468 Grumman F-14A-80-GR Tomcat 159588/159637 Grumman F-14A-85-GR Tomcat 159591,159606,159612 modified for TARPS pod. 159610(DR-1),159613(DR-4),159600(DR-5), 159629(DR-7),159628(DR-8),159619(DR-9), 159592(DR-10),159595(DR-12),159603(DR-14), 159635(DR-15),159633(DR-16),159618(DR-17), 159630(DR-18) converted to F-14D(R). 159825/159874 Grumman F-14A-90-GR Tomcat 160299/160378 Grumman F-14A Tomcat for Iran under serial numbers 3-863/3-892 and 3-6001/3-6050. Last one not delivered. 160379/160414 Grumman F-14A-95-GR Tomcat 160652/160696 Grumman F-14A-100-GR Tomcat 160696 modified for TARPS pod 160887/160930 Grumman F-14A-105-GR Tomcat 160910, 160911,160914,160915,160920, 160925,160926,160930 were TARPS capable 161133/161168 Grumman F-14A-110-GR Tomcat 161134, 161135,161137,161140,161141, 161146,161147,161150,161152,161155, 161156,161158,161159,161161,161162, 161164,161168 were TARPS capable 161159(DR-1),161158(DR-3),161166(DR-6), 161133(DR-11),161154(DR-13) were converted to F-14D(R). 161270/161299 Grumman F-14A-115-GR Tomcat 161270,161271,161272,161273,161275,161276, 161277,161280,161281,161282,161285 were TARPS capable. 161287(KB-5) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161416/161445 Grumman F-14A-120-GR Tomcat 161424(KB-1),161426(KB-2),161429(KB-3), 161418(KB-4),161428(KB-6),161433(KB-7), 161417(KB-8),161419(KB-9),161440(KB-10), 161444(KB-11),161427(KB-12),161416(KB-13), 161442(KB-14),161437(KB-15),161441(KB-16), 161421(KB-17),161422(KB-18),161425(KB-19), 161430(KB-22),161432(KB-24),161434(KB-25), 161435(KB-26),161438(KB-27) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161597/161626 Grumman F-14A-125-GR Tomcat 161604,161605,161611,161620,161621,161622, 161624,161626 were TARPS capable. 16159?(KB-20),161610(KB-21),161608(KB-23), 161610(KB-30) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161623 used as F-14D testbed and later redesignated NF-14D. 161850/161879 Grumman F-14A-130-GR Tomcat 161851(KB-28),161871(KB-29),161870(KB-31), 161873(KB-32) converted to F-14A(Plus) and later redesignated F-14B 161867 modified as F-14D testbed, later redesignated NF-14D. 161865 modified as F-14D testbed. 162588/162611 Grumman F-14A-135-GR Tomcat 162595 modified as F-14D testbed. 162688/162717 Grumman F-14A-140-GR Tomcat 712/717 cancelled
The F-14A Tomcat was exported to only one foreign customer, the Nirou Havai Shahanshahiye Iran, or Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF).
The government of the Shah of Iran had been granted large amounts of military assistance by the United States government in the hope that Iran would act as a bulwark against Soviet expansions southward into the region of the Persian Gulf. In addition, Iranian oil revenues made it possible for the Shah's government to purchase massive amounts of Western-manufactured arms, including advanced warplanes such as the Northrop F-5A and E, the McDonnell F-4D and E Phantom, and the Lockheed P-3F Orion. In addition, large numbers of Chieftain and Shir main battle tanks were purchased from Britain.
In May of 1972, President Richard Nixon had visited Iran and the Shah had mentioned to him that MiG-25 Foxbat aircraft of the Soviet Air Force had regularly been flying unimpeded over Iranian territory. The Shah asked Nixon for equipment which could intercept these high-speed intruders, and Nixon told the Shah that he could order either the F-14 Tomcat or the F-15 Eagle.
In August of 1973, the Shah selected the F-14 Tomcat, and the sale was approved by the US government in November of 1972. The initial order signed in January of 1974 covered 30 Tomcats, but in June 50 more were added to the contract. At the same time, the Iranian government-owned Melli Bank agreed to loan Grumman $75 million to partially make up for a US government loan of $200 to Grumman which had just been cancelled. This loan enabled Grumman to secure a further loan of $125 from a consortium of American banks, ensuring at least for the moment that the F-14 program would continue.
The Iranian Tomcat was virtually identical to the US Navy version, with only a few classified avionics items being omitted. The base site for Iranian Tomcat operations was at Isfahan. Imperial Iranian Air Force aircrews began to arrive in the USA for training in May of 1974, and shortly thereafter the first Grumman pilots arrived in Iran.
The Iranian Tomcats were fairly late on the production line, and were therefore delivered with the TF30-P-414 engine, which was much safer than the compressor-stall-prone P-412 engine. The first of 80 Tomcats arrived in Iran in January of 1976. By May of 1977, when Iran celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Royal House, 12 had been delivered. At this time, the Soviet Foxbats were still making a nuisance of themselves by flying over Iran, and the Shaw ordered live firing tests of the Phoenix to be carried out as a warning. In August of 1977, IIAF crews shot down a BQM-34E drone flying at 50,000 feet, and the Soviets took the hint and Foxbat overflights promptly ended.
The IIAF Tomcats bore the US Navy serial numbers of 160299/160378, and were assigned the IIAF serial numbers 3-863 to 3-892 and 3-6001 to 3-6050. The last of 79 Tomcats were delivered to Iran in 1978. One Iranian Tomcat (BuNo 170378) was retained in the USA for use as a testbed. Iran also ordered 714 Phoenix missiles, but only 284 had been delivered at the time of the Revolution. These Phoenix missiles were of slightly-reduced capability as compared with those delivered to the US Navy.
Toward the end of the 1970s, there was increasing chaos in Iran. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fled the country and on April 1, an Islamic republic was declared, with the Ayatolla Khomeini as the head of state. The Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The new government rapidly took on an anti-Western stance, denouncing the United States as the "great Satan". Following the Islamic revolution, massive numbers of contracts with Western arms suppliers were cancelled by the new government, including an order for 400 AIM-54A Phoenix missiles. Relations with the USA became increasingly strained, especially by the occupation of the US embassy in Teheran by militant students and the holding of 52 Americans hostage. The US responded with a cutoff of all political and military ties to Iran and the imposition of a strict arms embargo.
This arms embargo against Iran imposed by the West caused a severe spare parts and maintenance problem. Even the best-equipped units were often poorly trained and could not operate without Western contractor support. The political upheavals and purges caused by the fundamentalist revolution made the situation much worse, with many pilots and maintenance personnel following the Shah into exile. As a result, by 1980 the IRIAF was only a shadow of its former self.
This embargo was to have a especially severe long-term effect on the Tomcat fleet, since the embargo prevented the delivery of any spares. In addition, by August of 1979, all 79 of the F-14A Tomcats had supposedly been sabotaged so that they could no longer fire their Phoenix missiles. According to various accounts, this was done either by departing Grumman technicians, by Iranian Air Force personnel friendly to the US shortly after the fall of the Shah, or even by Iranian revolutionaries in an attempt to prevent operations by an Air Force perceived to be too pro-Western. The Iran-Iraq war began on September 22, 1980 with an Iraqi air attack on six Iranian air bases and four Iranian army bases. It was followed by an Iraqi land attack at four points along a 700-kilometer front. Before the war ended in 1988, somewhere between 500,000 and a million people were dead, between 1 and 2 million people were injured, and there were two to three million refugees. Although little-covered in the Western media, the war was a human tragedy on a massive scale.
Air power did not play a dominant role in the Iran-Iraq war, because both sides were unable to use their air forces very effectively. Fighter-vs-fighter combat was rather rare throughout the entire course of the Iran-Iraq war. During the first phase of the war, Iranian aircraft had the fuel and the endurance to win most of these aerial encounters, either by killing with their first shot of an AIM-9 or else by forcing Iraqi fighters to withdraw. However, at this stage in the war the infrared homing missiles used by the fighters of both sides were generally ineffective in anything other than tail-chase firings at medium to high altitudes. Initially, Iranian pilots had the edge in training and experience, but as the war dragged on, this edge was gradually lost because of the repeated purges within the ranks of the Iranian military which removed experienced officers and pilots who were suspected of disloyalty to the Islamic fundamentalist regime or those with close ties or sympathies with the West. As Iranian capabilities declined, Iraqi capabilities gradually improved. After 1982, Iraq managed to improve its training and was able to acquire newer and better arms from French manufacturers, especially the Dassault Breguet Super Etendard and the Mirage F-1. The Mirage F-1 was capable of firing the Matra R-550 Magic air-to-air missile, which had a 140-degree attack hemisphere, a head-on attack capability, high-g launch and maneuver capability, and a 0.23 to 10-km range. The Magic could also be launched from the MiG-21, and proved to be far superior than the standard Soviet-supplied infrared homer, the Atoll. Mirage F-1s were reported to have shot down several Iranian aircraft with Magic missiles and as having scored kills even at low altitudes. After 1982, Iraq generally had the edge in most air-to-air encounters that took place, with Iran losing most of the few air-to-air encounters that took place after 1983 unless it used carefully-planned ambushes against Iraqi planes that were flying predictable routes. The Iranians could not generate more than 30-60 sorties per day, whereas the number of sorties that Iraq could mount steadily increased year after year, reaching a peak as high as 600 in 1986-88.
The Tomcat never proved very effective in IRIAF service, since only a relatively small number could be kept airworthy at any one time. Very often, they served in a mini-AWACS role by virtue of their powerful radars and were deliberately not risked in combat. Several Iranian Tomcats were reported lost in action, most of the reported losses being kill claims by Iraqi sources. Iraq first claimed to have shot down an Iranian F-14Aa on November 21, 1982, the kill reportedly being made by a Mirage F1EQ. In March 1982, a downed Iranian pilot is reported to have told his captors that he was really surprised to see an Iraqi MiG-21 shoot down such an advanced aircraft as an F-14. On September 11, 1983, two Iranian Tomcats attempting to intercept Iraqi aircraft attacking Iranian positions were claimed to have been shot down. One Tomcat was lost in a dogfight with Iraqi aircraft on October 4, 1883, another in an air battle over Bahragan on November 21, 1983 and single examples were lost on February 24, and July 1, 1984. Iraq claims to have shot down three F-14As in a single day on August 11, 1984. It is impossible to judge the reliability of these claims, but there is probably nothing intrinsically implausible about them. Iranian F-14As are known to have shot down at least three Iraqi fighters, including two Mirage F1s and one MiG-21. An Iranian Tomcat achieved a kill against an Iraqi Mirage F1 as late as the spring of 1988, indicating that the IRIAF was able to keep at least one Tomcat operational.
It is extremely difficult to get any reliable estimates of just how many Iranian F-14As were in service at any one time during the war. Western intelligence estimates tended to put the number of serviceable Tomcats flying with the IRIAF at a very low level, often less than ten, with planes having been deliberately cannibalized to keep at least a few flying. In the summer of 1984, the Pentagon estimated that Iran could field only 15-20 Tomcats, maintaining them largely by cannibalization. Iranian sources tended to discount these Western estimates as "imperialist propaganda", and placed the number of in-service Tomcats at a much higher value.
An indication that Western intelligence may have consistently underestimated Iranian capabilities in this area may have taken place on February 11, 1985, when no less than 25 Iranian F-14A Tomcats took place in a mass flypast over Teheran. In spite of the Western arms embargo, Iran seems to have been able to maintain a more-or-less steady supply of spare parts for its fleet of Tomcats, Phantoms, and F-5Es. Some of these parts seem to have been smuggled into Iran by collusion with Israel. Some may have come in as a result of the "arms-for-hostages" deal in which the US government supplied arms to Iran in exchange for its assistance in getting hostages held in Lebanon released.
The Phoenix missiles and/or their guidance avionics were reportedly rendered inoperative by sabotage before the war began and have not been operational since. There are no reports of any Phoenix missiles being fired during the Iran-Iraq war. However, the AN/AWG-9 radar did remain operational, and the Iranian Tomcats could still fire AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles. Most IRIAF Tomcats flew with a missile load of four Sparows and two Sidewinders.
The accidental shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 by missiles launched from the USS Vincennes on July 3, 1988 with the loss of 290 lives may have been caused by the accidental misidentification of the Airbus A300 as an IRIAF F-14A by the ship's radar system operators. Rumors had been going about that Iranian F-14As had been fitted with the capability to launch air-to-surface anti-ship missiles.
Despite the Iranian regime's official anti-Communist stance (the Communist Party is officially banned in Iran), there are persistent rumors that one or perhaps several IRIAF F-14A were delivered to the Soviet Union in exchange for other arms assistance. At least one Iranian F-14A crew has reportedly defected to the Soviet Union. There is every reason to believe that the F-14A, its AWG-9 fire control system, and its Phoenix missiles were completely compromised at this time. An examination of the Phoenix supposedly helped the Soviets to build the Vympel R-33 (known in the West as AA-9 Amos) long-range missiles which arm the MiG-31 Foxhound. However, Gennadiy Sokolovskiy of the Vympel Design Bureau denies that the R-33 was based on the AIM-54 Phoenix, maintaining that he has never actually seen a live Phoenix.
I believe that some F-14As are still flying in Iran, but I am not sure of the number.
Almost from the start of the Tomcat project, Grumman was aware that the TF30-powered F-14A would be somewhat underpowered. On February 27, 1970, almost a year before the first flight of the F-14A, Grumman had suggested that a Tomcat derivative be built powered by the winner of the Advanced Technology Engine competition, the two contestants being the General Electric GE1/10 and the Pratt & Whitney JTF22. The Navy wrote up an new requirement (which they named VAX-2) which would eventually lead to a new designation of F-14B being assigned. It was anticipated that the F-14B would have 40 percent better turning radius, 21 percent better sustained g-capability, and 80 percent greater radius of action. At this stage of the Tomcat project, the F-14A was considered only an interim type, pending the introduction of the definitive F-14B. It was also proposed that all existing F-14As be brought up to F-14B standard.
The winner of the engine contest was the Pratt & Whitney entry, which was later redesignated F401-P-400. This engine was a derivative of the JTF22 Advanced Technology Engine, which had also spawned the F100 turbofan that was used by both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The F401-P-400 offered 16,400 pounds of thrust dry and an afterburning thrust of 28,000 pounds.
The seventh Tomcat (BuNo 157986) was set aside to serve as the prototype. It flew for the first time on September 12, 1973 with the F401-P-400 engine. With the new engine, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the F-14B was raised to greater than unity, offering a much improved performance.
Original plans called for the F-14B to start rolling off the production line with the 67th production edition, with earlier F-14As being converted to F-14B configuration when sufficient numbers of F401s became available. However, the development of the F401 turbofan soon ran into serious trouble, and failed its initial flight rating tests. Since the F-14A had already encountered severe cost overruns, and since the Navy's budget had been severely cut back at the end of the Southeast Asia war, the Navy decided to stick with the TF30-powered F-14A, and plans for the production of the F-14B were abandoned in April of 1974.
Following the cancellation of the F-14B, 157986 was put into storage. It was brought out of storage in 1981 for evaluation of the General Electric F101 DFE engine, paving the way for the development of the F-14A(Plus) and F-14D versions.
The F-14C was to have been a version of the F-14B fitted with upgraded avionics system that provided for all-weather attack and reconnaissance capability. Like the F-14B, the F-14C was to have been powered by a pair of F401-P-400 turbofans. However, the high costs of the F-14C caused the Navy to order more Grumman A-6 Intruders instead and to initiate the VFAX program which resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F-14C was abandoned before any examples could be built.
Following the cancellation of the F-14B, F-14A BuNo 157986 was put into storage. In 1981, it was taken out of storage and re-engined with two General Electric F101 DFE (Derivative Fighter Engine) turbofans, each rated at 16,400 lb.s.t. dry and 27,400 lb.s.t. with afterburning. The F101-DFE used the core engine from the F101, which had originally been developed for the B-1B, and was modified by adding a scaled-up fan and augmenter nozzle taken from the F404 engine used by the F/A-18A Hornet.
The first flight of the Super Tomcat (as the aircraft was unofficially known) took place on July 14, 1981 at Calverton. Grumman test pilot Chuck Sewell called this aircraft "a fighter pilot's dream". The test program showed significant performance gains, including a 62 percent increase in intercept radius, and such vast improvements in takeoff performance that non-afterburning carrier takeoffs were now a distinct possibility.
In the meantime, the Air Force had decided to adopt an alternative engine strategy for both the F-15 and F-16 fighters, splitting engine orders between Pratt & Whitney and General Electric. With each new fiscal year, a new set of engine orders would be issued. Having a second source would help to ensure a steady supply of engines, and competition between these two companies would, it was hoped, keep prices down. The Navy announced that it too would move to competitive yearly engine evaluations in selecting a new powerplant for the Tomcat. Initially, the Navy announced that the candidates would be the General Electric F110 and the Pratt & Whitney PW1128 turbofans. However, in the summer of 1983, the Navy abandoned this plan and announced that they would rely on the results of the USAF's competitive evaluation.
The two USAF candidates were the General Electric F101 DFE (now redesignated F110) and a revised Pratt & Whitney F100. In February 1984, the USAF announced that General Electric had been awarded with 75 percent of the total contract for engines for the FY1985 run of F-16 fighters. All of the FY 85 F-15 Eagles and the remaining FY 85 F-16s would use the upgraded Pratt & Whitney F100. The F110 was to be phased into the General Dynamics F-16 production line as soon as production engines became available, but it was agreed that individual USAF F-16 units would never operate a mix of engine types, the choice of engine being made at the wing level. Future models of the F-15 would be designed to accept either the F110 and F100.
The Navy liked the F110 better than the F100 since the F110 had greater thrust and promised to have lower overall support costs. The Navy announced that they would be adopting the F110 for all future Tomcats, and would not be doing USAF-style annual procurement competitions.
In August 1984, the Navy awarded Grumman a contract for improved versions of the F-14 and A-6. The new Tomcat would be known as the F-14D. The troublesome TF30 would be replaced by the F110-GE-400, the avionics would upgraged from analog to digital, the aircraft would receive an enhanced radar, a new computer, a stores management system, new controls, new displays, and a digital INS. While the full F-14D avionics suite was being developed, an interim aircraft, designated F-14A(Plus), would be produced which would introduce only the F110 engines and keep the F-14A electronics suite. However, all F-14A(Plus) aircraft would eventually be upgraded to full F-14D status.
The go-ahead for the interim F-14A(Plus) and the definitive F-14D program was given in July of 1984, when Grumman was awarded a contract. Both these versions were to be powered by General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofans, rated at an afterburning thrust of 27,000 lb.s.t. each. The engines were to be fitted with a computerized fuel control system to prevent compressor stalls in all flight regimes. In addition, the F-14A(Plus) was to be fitted with the AN/ALR-67 threat warning and recognition system.
The basic F110 was considerably shorter than the TF30 which it replaced. In order to avoid having to completely redesign the air intake ducting, the Navy version of this engine was "stretched" in length by adding a new section between the engine and the afterburning section. Apparently, this created no significant engineering difficulties. The nozzle is positioned 11 inches further aft, which should reduce the aerodynamic drag of the boat-tail area of the rear fuselage. Very few structural changes were needed to adapt the F-14A to the new F110 engine. Almost the only changes needed were the rearrangement of the engine accessories and their drive gearbox, plus minor modifications of the surrounding F-14 secondary structure.
F-14A BuNo 157986 (which had also served as the F-14B prototype) was chosen as the engine development aircraft for the new aircraft and was fitted with a pair of F110-GE-400s in 1986 and took off on its first flight on September 29, 1986, piloted by Joe Burke. This engine offered considerable extra thrust over the old TF30 turbofan, and offered a considerable better performance. The new F110 engines offered the additional benefit of fewer compressor stalls, a more unrestricted throttle movement throughout the entire flight regime, and improved fuel economy. In addition, the F110-GE-400 had over 80 percent commonality with F110 variants used by the Air Force.
The increased power of the F110 engine dramatically improved all-round combat performance. It also made it possible to make catapult takeoffs from carriers without afterburner. The fuel consumption of the F110 was also much better than that of the TF30, increasing the mission radius by 62 percent. Time to reach high altitudes was reduced by 61 percent. Last and by no means least, the pilot could at long last forget about his engine during combat maneuvers and move the throttles shut or wide open no mater what the angle of attack or airspeed without having to worry about the danger of a compressor stall.
The F-14A(Plus) program called for the manufacture of 38 new aircraft and the rebuilding of 32 existing F-14As. BuNo 158630, the first F-14A(Plus) rebuilt from a TF30-powered F-14A, flew on December 11, 1986, and the first new-build F-14A(Plus) (BuNo 162910) flew on November 14, 1987. A second new-build F-14A(Plus) was accepted in 1987, 17 were delivered in 1989.
Externally, the F-14A(Plus) can be distinguished from the F-14A by its larger engine exhaust nozzles, the deletion of the wing glove vanes, a modified door near the gun port, and the installation of the new AN/ALR-67 radar warning receiver with antennae below the wing glove area. A new Direct Lift Control/Approach Power Control system was installed, and the gun bay was redesigned, incorporating a gas purging system with NACA-type inlets replacing the original grilles. A fatigue/engine-monitoring system was added and AN/ARC-182 UHF/VHF radios are installed. The modernized and modified radar fire control system was redesignated AN/AWG-15F.
In May of 1991, the Navy decided to redesignate the F-14A(Plus) F-14B, using the same designation as that of the stillborn F401-powered aircraft of 1973. A total of 38 F-14Bs were newly built. 32 additional F-14Bs were produced by conversion from existing F-14A airframes. These conversions were allocated the sequential KB-series identifications KB-1 to KB-32 respectively. About 17 more conversions have since been funded. Most F-14Bs may be upgraded to F-14D standards under a general depot-level update program that was used for some of the earlier F-14As.
Serials of Grumman F-14A(Plus) (F-14B) Tomcat:
157986 Grumman F-14A-30-GR Tomcat modified as F-14B and then as F-14A(Plus). 161270/161299 Grumman F-14A-115-GR Tomcat 161287(KB-5) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161416/161445 Grumman F-14A-120-GR Tomcat 161424(KB-1),161426(KB-2),161429(KB-3), 161418(KB-4),161428(KB-6),161433(KB-7), 161417(KB-8),161419(KB-9),161440(KB-10), 161444(KB-11),161427(KB-12),161416(KB-13), 161442(KB-14),161437(KB-15),161441(KB-16), 161421(KB-17),161422(KB-18),161425(KB-19), 161430(KB-22),161432(KB-24),161434(KB-25), 161435(KB-26),161438(KB-27) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161597/161626 Grumman F-14A-125-GR Tomcat 16159?(KB-20),161610(KB-21),161608(KB-23), 161610(KB-30) converted to F-14A(Plus), later redesignated F-14B. 161850/161879 Grumman F-14A-130-GR Tomcat 161851(KB-28),161871(KB-29),161870(KB-31), 161873(KB-32) converted to F-14A(Plus) and later redesignated F-14B 163217/163229 Grumman F-14B-150-GR Tomcat 163407/163411 Grumman F-14B-155-GR Tomcat
Specification of Grumman F-14A(Plus) (F-14B) Tomcat
Two General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofans, each rated at 14,000 lb.s.t. dry and 23,100 lb.s.t with afterburning. Performance: Maximum speed (with four semi-recessed Sparrow missiles) Mach 1.2 (912 mph) at sea level, Mach 2.34 (1544 mph) at 40,000 feet. Combat air patrol loiter time 2.05 hours (at 173 mile radius with two 280 US gallon drop tanks). combat air patrol radius (with 1 hour loiter) 423 miles. intercept radius (Mach 1.3) 319 miles. Weights: 42,000 pounds empty, maximum takeoff weight, 75,000 pounds. Dimensions: wing span 64 feet 1 1/2 inches (unswept), 37 feet 7 inches (fully swept), length 61 feet 11 7/8 inches, wing area 565 square feet. Fuel: Maximum internal fuel 2385 US gallons. A 267 US-gallon drop tank can be carried on a hardpoint underneath each air intake. Armament: One 20-mm General Electric M61A1 Vulcan in the nose with 675 rounds. Provision for six AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, or six AIM-54A/C Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders, or four AIM-54A/C Phoenix missiles underneath the fuselage and two AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders on the wing glove pylons.
The F-14D designation had originally been assigned to a cost-reduced, stripped version of the Tomcat, proposed at a time when the rapidly-increasing cost of the F-14A was causing great concern. This project never achieved fruition.
The F-14D that is known today originated back in 1984 as an advanced Tomcat derivative that was to be developed in parallel with the F-14A(Plus). Both variants were to be powered by the 27,600 lb.s.t. Pratt & Whitney F110-PW-400 turbofan, designed to remedy some of the defects of the TF30, particularly the problems with compressor stall, but the F-14D was to possess a much more advanced avionics suite.
The avionics suite of the F-14D was to be centered around the Hughes AN/APG-71 radar. The APG-71 radar is a digital processing system that replaces the AWG-9 of the F-14A and gives the F-14D improved detection and tracking range. The APG-71 is a development of the APG-70 used in the F-15E Strike Eagle. It features a low-sidelobe antenna, a sidelobe-blanking guard channel, and monopulse angle tracking, all of which are intended to make the radar less vulnerable to jamming.
The F-14D is equipped with dual AYK-14 Standard Airborne Computers. The F-14D is a "digital ship", based on a multiprocessor MIL-STD-1553B database system to which all the avionics are connected.
On the F-14A, integration of the missiles was handled by the AWG-9, but on the F-14D this is done by a digital stores management system.
The F-14D is provided with a dual chin pod under the nose that contains both a Television Camera System (TCS) and an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system. Previous Tomcat versions carried one or the other of these systems, but not both.
The wing glove box leading edge extensions of the F-14D were recontoured to house antennae for the ALR-45, for the Itek ALR-67 radar-warning receiver and for an AN/ALQ-165 airborne self protection jammer. The ALR-67 incorporates both the traditional crystal-video pattern type of receiver used for radar warning, plus a superheterodyne receiver receiver controlled by a high-speed reprogrammable digital processor. This makes it more flexible in the face of evolving threats.
The F-14D uses the ASN-130 digital inertial navigational system, which is also used by the F/A-18A. The new ASN-139 laser inertial navigation system is designed to be compatible with the -130.
In addition, the F-14D has equipment for onboard oxygen generation and features revised cockpit displays with night vision goggle capability. It is equipped with the new Martin Baker Mk 14 Navy Aircrew Common Ejection Seats (NACES), which offer the possibility of higher-velocity escapes (up to 700 knots in level flight and 600 knots at any attitude).
In contrast to the F-14A, all of the F-14Ds are capable of carrying the TARPS reconnaissance pod.
The F-14D can make an operational sortie 150 miles from the carrier, loiter for two hours, and retain sufficient fuel reserves for several passes on its return to the carrier.
In support of the F-14D development program, four TF30-powered F-14As were converted, serials being 161865, 161867, 162595, and 161623. F-14A BuNo 161865 was modified as an avionics test bed for the F-14D program and flew for the first time on November 23, 1987. It had F-14D's APG-71 radar, digitized avionics and cockpit, but retained the TF30 engines. In 1988, 161867 was fitted with a pair of F110-GE-400s to become the first fully-configured F-14D. This aircraft flew for the first time on April 21, 1988, piloted by Tom Cavanaugh. It was later brought up to partial F-14D configuration with the D-model's avionics and radar. 162595 and 161623 were both powered by TF30 turbofans and made their maiden flights on May 31 and September 21, 1988, respectively, and were used for radar and stores management integration, ECM and RWR testing, and IRST and TCS integration, plus live weapons firing and JTIDS development and systems verification.
The first production F-14D was first flown on February 9, 1990 and was displayed in a March 23, 1990 ceremony at Calverton. Externally, the most obvious difference between the F-14D and the F-14A is the presence of the dual chin pod under the nose of the F-14D that contains both the Television Camera System (TCS) and the Infrared Search and Track (IRST).
Grumman had hoped to deliver at least 12 "new-build" F-14Ds to the Navy every year through 1998, while also remanufacturing many of the earlier F-14As to F-14D standards. However, in 1989 Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney decided that the entire F-14D program should be terminated in an economy move. Newspaper and TV advertisements did nothing to persuade Cheney to change his mind. However, the Navy still wanted more F-14Ds, and Secretary of the Navy H. Lawrence Garrett issued a strong appeal for at least 132 "new-build" F-14Ds from 1992 onward. Secretary Cheney turned this proposal down flat, and went a step further in March 1991, and deleted all F-14D production funds from the FY 1992 budget. This was a catastrophe for Grumman, stopping Tomcat production in its tracks and forcing massive layoffs.
Thirty-seven of the planned 127 new-build F-14Ds were completed before the program was cancelled. The last F-14D was delivered to the Navy on July 20, 1992. Another 18 F-14Ds were produced by conversions of existing F-14As, these planes being redesignated F-14D(R) upon completion of the conversions. A total of 104 F-14D(R) conversions were originally planned, but the program was cut way back in the 1989 budget reduction. The six F-14D(R) aircraft of FY90 were spared the axe, but 98 planned conversions funded between FY91 and FY95 were cancelled. However, the 12 FY91 F-14D(R) conversions were later restored.
A total of 55 F-14D new-builds and conversions were produced. This was enough to equip only three front-line squadrons. These F-14D-equipped squadrons are VF-2 Bounty Hunters, VF-11 Red Rippers, and VF-31 Tomcatters. In addition, part of the Pacific Fleet training unit VF-124 is equipped with F-14Ds. A few prototype and early test F-14Ds have been redesignated NF-14Ds and serve with some dedicated test units.
Along with the F-14Bs in service, the F-14Ds are to receive a planned Block 1 upgrade. This includes the introduction of GPS capability, a digital flight control system, AN/ARC-210 radios, and probably an attack FLIR, plus the capability of carrying the AN/ALE-50 towed decoy.
Early F-14Ds 163145 and 163146 were permanently assigned to test duties under the designation NF-14D. They were operated by VX-4. The N prefix indicates that the planes have received a degree of modification which makes it impractical to return them to operational status.
Serials of F-14D:
159588/159637 Grumman F-14A-85-GR Tomcat 159591,159606,159612 modified for TARPS pod. 159610(DR-1),159613(DR-4),159600(DR-5), 159629(DR-7),159628(DR-8),159619(DR-9), 159592(DR-10),159595(DR-12),159603(DR-14), 159635(DR-15),159633(DR-16),159618(DR-17), 159630(DR-18) converted to F-14D(R). 161133/161168 Grumman F-14A-110-GR Tomcat 161134, 161135,161137,161140,161141, 161146,161147,161150,161152,161155, 161156,161158,161159,161161,161162, 161164,161168 were TARPS capable 161159(DR-1),161158(DR-3),161166(DR-6), 161133(DR-11),161154(DR-13) were converted to F-14D(R). 161597/161626 Grumman F-14A-125-GR Tomcat 161623 used as F-14D testbed and later redesignated NF-14D. 161850/161879 Grumman F-14A-130-GR Tomcat 161867 modified as F-14D testbed, later redesignated NF-14D. 161865 modified as F-14D testbed. 162588/162611 Grumman F-14A-135-GR Tomcat 162595 modified as F-14D testbed. 163412/163418 Grumman F-14D-160-GR Tomcat 163415 and 163416 converted to NF-14D. 163893/163904 Grumman F-14D-165-GR Tomcat 164340/164357 Grumman F-14D-170-GR Tomcat
Specification of Grumman F-14D Tomcat:
Two General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofans, each rated at 14,000 lb.s.t. dry and 23,100 lb.s.t with afterburning. Performance: Maximum speed (with four semi-recessed Sparrow missiles) Mach 1.2 (912 mph) at sea level, Mach 2.34 (1544 mph) at 40,000 feet. Combat air patrol loiter time 2.05 hours (at 173 mile radius with two 280 US gallon drop tanks). combat air patrol radius (with 1 hour loiter) 423 miles. intercept radius (Mach 1.3) 319 miles. Weights: 42,000 pounds empty, maximum takeoff weight, 75,000 pounds. Dimensions: wing span 64 feet 1 1/2 inches (unswept), 37 feet 7 inches (fully swept), length 61 feet 11 7/8 inches, wing area 565 square feet. Fuel: Maximum internal fuel 2385 US gallons. A 267 US-gallon drop tank can be carried on a hardpoint underneath each air intake. Armament: One 20-mm General Electric M61A1 Vulcan in the nose with 675 rounds. Provision for six AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, or six AIM-54A/C Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders, or four AIM-54A/C Phoenix missiles underneath the fuselage and two AIM-7F/M Sparrow and two AIM-9L/P Sidewinders on the wing glove pylons.
In 1971, Grumman proposed the F-14 as a contender for the USAF's Improved Manned Interceptor program, which was an attempt to find a replacement for the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. The USAF F-14 looked very much like the Navy F-14 but had enormous conformal fuel tank on the belly and four external fuel tanks.
The USAF found this proposal attractive because of its very long range and the capabilities of its AN/AWG-9 fire control system and its associated AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. However, the IMI F-14 proposal was ultimately defeated by its high cost, and nothing ever got off the drawing board.
One of the the latest Tomcat upgrade proposals is the F/A-14D, which is an upgraded strike derivative of the F-14D. It is proposed as a possible replacement for the A-6 Intruder, but should not interfere with the planned F/A-18E/F procurement. If approved, the F/A-14D would be produced by upgrading existing F-14D, F-14B, and F-14A airframes.
In the first stage of the F/A-14D upgrade plan, all of the planes involved would be brought up to basic F-14D standard, with F110 engines, AYK-14 on-board computers, and digital avionics. An attack FLIR (Forward-Looking Infra-Red) would be fitted, and a MIL STD 1760 bus would be added for compatibility with other advanced weapons systems. In the second stage of the program, an AN/ALE-50 towed decoy would be added, a navigation FLIR would be provided and a full night vision cockpit would be fitted. In the third and last stage, software modes from the F-15E's AN/APG-71 would be added, which include Doppler beam sharpening, synthetic aperture, sea surface search, moving target indication, and a terrain-following mode.
However, in the current military drawdown, the F/A-14D proposal has an uncertain future.
The F-14T was a very austere Tomcat derivative designed during the early 1970s as a alternative to the F-14A and B, which were becoming increasingly costly. The F-14T would have had only Sparrow and Sidewinder missile capability. The Navy concluded that the F-14T would offer little advantage over the F-4 Phantom, and the F-14T proceeded no further than the concept stage.
The F-14X was the designation given to several different proposals for cost-reduced Tomcats that were somewhat less radically-downgraded than the F-14T. Some retained AIM-54 capability, but some eliminated it. Some of these proposals reduced simultaneous target tracking from 24 to 12 targets, and removed the glove vanes and the approach power compensator. The various F-14X proposals were discarded after the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, when high Israeli attrition rates suggested to the Navy that they had better equip their carriers with the best-available aircraft.
The so-called "Quickstrike" was a proposed long-range strike fighter version of the F-14D Tomcat, designed to fill in the gap created by the cancellation of the A-12 as a possible A-6 Intruder replacement. It was envisaged as a sort of naval equivalent of the Air Force's McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.
The Quickstrike was basically a minimum-change F-14D Tomcat equipped with FLIR capability and provided with more modes for its APG-71 radar. These additional modes included synthetic aperture and Doppler Beam Sharpening for ground mapping, making the radar more similar to the APG-70 of the F-15E. There would be four hardpoints under the central fuselage which would each carry five munitions substations, whereas the two wing glove pylons would have two munitions substations each. Navigation and targeting pods would be provided that would be similar to those already carried by the F-15E. The cockpit would have FLIR, HUD, and moving-map displays for the crew. The aircraft would be capable of carrying and delivering laser-guided bombs, stand-off SLAM missiles, and Maverick air-to-surface missiles. HARM antiradiation missiles and Harpoon antiship missiles could also be carried.
However, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E/F has been selected as the successor to the A-6, so the Quickstrike derivative of the Tomcat has a dim future.
The Super Tomcat 21 is a proposed multi-role adaptation of the F-14D Tomcat. It was proposed as a low-cost alternative to the Naval ATF, and drew heavily on the work done on Grumman's "Quickstrike" proposal.
Like the "Quickstrike", the Super Tomcat 21 was to have a FLIR, and was to be provided with more modes for its APG-71 radar, such as synthetic aperature and Doppler Beam Sharpening for mapping. Four underfuselage hardpoints would have five munitions substations each, while the two wing glove pylons would have two substations. Naviagation and targeting pods could be installed. The Super Tomcat 21 differed, however, from the Quickstrike in making an attempt to reduce its radar cross section by a significant amount. In addition, it was to have been powered by improved F110-GE-129 turbofan engines which offered "supercruise" (the ability to achieve sustained supersonic cruising speeds without the need for afterburning) and would even have included thrust vectoring capability. The Super Tomcat 21 would also have featured enlarged tailplanes with extended trailing edges giving greater area, plus newly-configured wing gloves housing additional internal fuel. It would also have featured increased-lift slotted flaps and extended-chord leading edeg wing slats to allow no-wind carrier takeoffs or conventional carrier takeoffs at higher loaded weights. A new more powerful radar suite would be fitted, and the weapons delivery capability would be markedly enhanced by the adoption of helmet-mounted sights.
The Attack Super Tomcat 21 was based on the Super Tomcat 21 but had thicker outer wing panels that carried more fuel. In addition, the aircraft would have provision for carrying larger external fuel tanks. Refinements to the leading-edge slats and the trailing-edge flaps were to give a 18-mph reduction in the landing approach speed. The aircraft was to have had the Norden radar that had been developed for the abortive General Dynamics/McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II. The Attack Super Tomcat 21 has received quite a bit of attention as a potential alternative to the cancelled A-12.
However, in the present military drawdown mode, both of these Tomcat 21 proposals share an uncertain future.
F-14 Tomcat: Fleet Defender, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Vol 7, 1991.
Grumman F-14 Tomcat Variant Briefing, World Airpower Journal, Vol. 19, 1994.
Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft, Volume 1, David Donald and Jon Lake, AirTime, 1994.
Grumman Aircraft Since 1919, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1989.
Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Doug Richardson, Osprey, 1987.
From ALKALI to AAM-L, Part 2, Piotr Butowski, Air International, November 1994.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Armament, Bill Gunston Orion, 1988.
The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery Books, 1989.
The Lessons of Modern War, Molume II: The Iran-Iraq War, Anthony H. Cordesman and Abraham R. Wagner, Westview Press, 1990.
Air-to-Air Missile Directory, Doug Richardson and Piotr Butowski, Air International, October 1993, p 197.
|
F-14B Tomcat | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Squad Deployment |
|
1977-present |
|
Builder |
|
Northrop-Grumman |
|
Length |
|
62' 8" |
|
Weight Empty |
|
40 104 lbs |
|
Engines |
|
F-110-GE-400 |
|
Max Speed @ 0K |
|
912 mph |
|
Fuel Internal |
|
2 385 gal |
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Radar |
|
AWG-9 |
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Fixed Weapon |
|
MK-61A1 20mm |
|
Crew |
|
2 (pilot & radar intercept officer) |
