Description: THE F-14 TOMCAT IN DETAIL & SCALE USN VF GRUMMAN NAS MIRAMAR NAS OCEANA CVW THE F-14 TOMCAT IN DETAIL & SCALE USN VF GRUMMAN SERIES II BY BERT KINSEY (1979) 48 PAGES INTRODUCTION COLOR PHOTOS (VF-142, OPEN RADOME SHOWING AWG-9, VF-143 CAG, KEITH FERRIS EXPERIMENTAL GRAY CAMO SCHEME, VF-143, VF-84 JOLLY ROGERS USS NIMITZ, VF-41, VF-111 SUNDOWNERS PHOTO GALLERY (VF-14 NAS MIRAMAR, VF-84 JOLLY ROGERS USS NIMITZ, VF-124 BICENTENNIAL MARKINGS, VX-4 OPTEVFOR, NAVAL AIR TEST CENTER PAX RIVER, VF-143 PUKIN DOGS, VF-142 USS AMERICA, VF-32 MIRAMAR, NAVAL MISSILE TEST CENTER, VF-211 MIRAMAR, VF-24 CAG MIRAMAR, VF-2, VF-41 USS NIMITZ) VF-213 BLACK LIONS (USS AMERICA CV-66, USS KITTY HAWK CV-63) F-14 LANDING GEAR & WHEEL BAYS VARIABLE GEOMETRY AIR INTAKES WING GLOVE PYLON ARMAMENT COMBINATIONS F-14 TOMCAT WEAPONS SYSTEMS MARTIN BAKER Mk-GRU-7a EJECTION SEAT F-14 TOMCAT TECHNICAL DATA F-14 TOMCAT DIMENSIONS 1:72 SCALE DRAWINGS PILOT INSTRUMENT PANEL & CONSOLES NFO INSTRUMENT PANEL & CONSOLES COCKPIT COLOR PHOTOS F-14 TAIL IN DETAIL (STRAKES, TAILHOOK) ------------------------------------------------ Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters, which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform. In the 1990s, it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system and began performing precision ground-attack missions. The F-14 Tomcat was designed as both an air superiority fighter and a long-range naval interceptor. The F-14 has a two-seat cockpit with a bubble canopy that affords all-round visibility. It features variable geometry wings that swing automatically during flight. For high-speed intercept, they are swept back and they swing forward for lower speed flight. It was designed to improve on the F-4 Phantom's air combat performance in most respects. The F-14's fuselage and wings allow it to climb faster than the F-4, while the twin-tail arrangement offers better stability. The F-14 is equipped with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan Gatling cannon mounted on the left side, and can carry AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow, and AIM-9 Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles. The twin engines are housed in widely spaced nacelles. The flat area of the fuselage between the nacelles is used to contain fuel and avionics systems, such as the wing-sweep mechanism and flight controls, as well as weaponry. By itself, the fuselage provides approximately 40 to 60 percent of the F-14's aerodynamic lifting surface depending on the wing sweep position. The F-14 was initially equipped with two Pratt & Whitney TF30 (or JT10A) turbofan engines with each providing a maximum thrust of 20,900 lb (93 kN) and giving the aircraft an official maximum speed of Mach 2.34. The TF30 had been plagued from the start with susceptibility to compressor stalls at high AoA and during rapid throttle transients or above 30,000 ft (9,100 m). The F110-GE400 engine provided a significant increase in thrust, producing 27,080 lbf (120.5 kN) with afterburner at sea level. The increased thrust gave the Tomcat a better than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio at low fuel quantities. The basic engine thrust without afterburner was powerful enough for carrier launches, further increasing safety. Another benefit was allowing the Tomcat to cruise comfortably above 30,000 ft (9,100 m), which increased its range and survivability. The F-14B arrived in time to participate in Desert Storm. The landing gear is very robust, in order to withstand the harsh takeoffs and landings necessary for carrier operation. It comprises a double nosewheel and widely spaced single main wheels. The cockpit has two seats, arranged in tandem, outfitted with Martin-Baker GRU-7A rocket-propelled ejection seats, rated from zero altitude and zero airspeed up to 450 knots. The canopy is spacious, and fitted with four mirrors to provide effectively all-round visibility. Only the pilot has flight controls; the flight instruments themselves are of a hybrid analog-digital nature. The cockpit also features a head-up display (HUD) to show primarily navigational information; several other avionics systems such as communications and direction-finders are integrated into the AWG-9 radar's display. A significant feature of the F-14 was its Central Air Data Computer (CADC), designed by Garrett AiResearch, that formed the onboard integrated flight control system. It used a MOSFET-based Large-Scale Integration chipset, the MP944, making it possibly the first microprocessor in history. The aircraft's large nose contains a two-person crew and several bulky avionics systems. The main element is the Hughes AN/AWG-9 X band radar; the antenna is a 36 in (91 cm)-wide planar array, and has integrated Identification friend or foe antennas. Cruise missiles are also possible targets with the AWG-9, which can lock onto and track small objects even at low altitude when in Pulse-Doppler mode. For the F-14D, the AWG-9 was replaced by the upgraded APG-71 radar. The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS)/Link 16 for data communications was added later on. The F-14 also features electronic countermeasures (ECM) and radar warning receiver (RWR) systems, chaff/flare dispensers, fighter-to-fighter data link, and a precise inertial navigation system. The early navigation system was inertial-based, point-of-origin coordinates were programmed into a navigation computer and gyroscopes would track the aircraft's every motion to calculate distance and direction from that starting point. Global Positioning System later was integrated to provide more precise navigation and redundancy in case either system failed. The chaff/flare dispensers were located on the underside of the fuselage and on the tail. The RWR system consisted of several antennas on the aircraft's fuselage, which could roughly calculate both direction and distance of enemy radar users; it could also differentiate between search radar, tracking radar, and missile-homing radar. The F-14 was designed to combat highly maneuverable aircraft as well as the Soviet anti-ship cruise missile and bomber threats. The Tomcat was to be a platform for the AIM-54 Phoenix, but unlike the canceled F-111B, it could also engage medium- and short-range threats with other weapons. The F-14 was an air superiority fighter, not just a long-range interceptor aircraft. Over 6,700 kg (14,800 lb) of stores could be carried for combat missions on several hardpoints under the fuselage and under the wings. Commonly, this meant a maximum of two�four Phoenixes or Sparrows on the belly stations, two Phoenixes/Sparrows on the wing hardpoints, and two Sidewinders on the wing hardpoints. The F-14 was also fitted with an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan Gatling-type cannon. Operationally, the capability to hold up to six Phoenix missiles was never used, although early testing was conducted; there was never a threat requirement to engage six hostile targets simultaneously and the load was too heavy to safely recover aboard an aircraft carrier in the event that the missiles were not fired. During the height of Cold War operations in the late 1970s and 1980s, the typical weapon loadout on carrier-deployed F-14s was usually only one AIM-54 Phoenix, augmented by two AIM-9 Sidewinders, two AIM-7 Sparrow IIIs, a full loadout of 20 mm ammunition and two drop tanks. The Phoenix missile was used twice in combat by the U.S. Navy, both over Iraq in 1999, but the missiles did not score any kills. The F-14 first flew in December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom II in U.S. Navy service starting in September 1974 with squadrons VF-1 "Wolfpack" and VF-2 "Bounty Hunters" aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and participated in the American withdrawal from Saigon. The F-14 had its first kills in U.S. Navy service on 19 August 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra in what is known as the Gulf of Sidra incident. In that engagement two F-14s from VF-41 Black Aces were engaged by two Libyan Su-22 "Fitters". The F-14s evaded the short range heat seeking AA-2 "Atoll" missile and returned fire, downing both Libyan aircraft. U.S. Navy F-14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on 4 January 1989, when two F-14s from VF-32 shot down two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" over the Gulf of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra incident. The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed in the late 1970s for the F-14. Approximately 65 F-14As and all F-14Ds were modified to carry the pod. TARPS was primarily controlled by the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), who had a specialized display to observe reconnaissance data. The TARPS was upgraded with digital camera in 1996 with the "TARPS Digital (TARPS-DI)". The digital camera was further updated beginning in 1998 with the "TARPS Completely Digital (TARPS-CD)" configuration that provided real-time transmission of imagery. Some of the F-14A aircraft underwent engine upgrades to the GE F110-400 in 1987. These upgraded Tomcats were redesignated F-14A+, which was later changed to F-14B in 1991. The F-14D variant was developed at the same time; it included the GE F110-400 engines with newer digital avionics systems such as a glass cockpit, and compatibility with the Link 16 secure datalink. The Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) notably improved the F-14's handling qualities when flying at a high angle of attack or in air combat maneuvering. Following Desert Storm, F-14As and F-14Bs underwent upgrades to avionics and cockpit displays to enable the use of precision munitions, enhance defensive systems, and apply structural improvements. The new avionics were comparable with the F-14D; upgraded aircraft were designated F-14A (Upgrade) and F-14B (Upgrade) respectively. By 1994, Grumman and the Navy were proposing ambitious plans for Tomcat upgrades to plug the gap between the retirement of the A-6 and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet entering service. However, the upgrades would have taken too long to implement to meet the gap, and were priced in the billions; Congress considered this too expensive for an interim solution. A quick, inexpensive upgrade using the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) targeting pod was devised. The LANTIRN pod provided the F-14 with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera for night operations and a laser target designator to direct laser-guided bombs (LGB). Although LANTIRN is traditionally a two-pod system, an AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod with terrain-following radar and a wide-angle FLIR, along with an AN/AAQ-14 targeting pod with a steerable FLIR and a laser target designator, the decision was made to only use the targeting pod. The Tomcat's LANTIRN pod was altered and improved over the baseline configuration, such as a Global Positioning System / Inertial Navigation System (GPS-INS) capability to allow an F-14 to accurately locate itself. The pod was carried on the right wing glove pylon. The Tomcat was retired from the U.S. Navy's active fleet on 22 September 2006. The F-14s were used as useful interceptor by Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during Iran Iraq war against Iraqi warplanes. Iranian F-14s reportedly shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran-Iraq War. While only 12 to 16 Tomcats were shot down, at least half of the losses were due to accidents. The F-14 remains in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, having been exported to Iran in 1976, when the U.S. had amicable diplomatic relations with Iran. COCKPIT & CANOPY / AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING PROBE / CREW ACCESS LADDER /INSTRUMENT PANEL, COCKPIT SIDE CONSOLES, CONTROL STICK, THROTTLE QUADRANT / MARTIN-BAKER GRU-7A EJECTION SEAT / MAIN LANDING GEAR / NOSE LANDING GEAR / CATAPULT LAUNCH ARM / WHEELS / WHEEL WELLS / CHIN PODS / IRST / M61A1 VULCAN 20mm CANNON / WING / LEADING EDGE / FLAPS / WING TIP LIGHTS / REAR FUSELAGE SECTION AND EMPENNAGE / ENGINE EXHAUST / ARRESTING HOOK / SPEED BRAKES / TWIN TAILFINS / RUDDER MARKINGS / ENGINE AIR INTAKE GRUMMAN F-14 TOMCAT ATLANTIC & PACIFIC FLEET SQUADRONS: VF-1 WOLFPACK, VF-2 BOUNTY HUNTERS, VF-11 RED RIPPERS, VF-14 TOPHATTERS, 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, NAVY FIGHTER WEAPONS SCHOOL TOP GUN, VX-4 THE EVALUATORS FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. 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Book Title: F-14
Language: English
Author: Kinzey
