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F-14 Tomcat

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The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a United States Navy supersonic, twin-engine, swing-wing, two-seat variable geometry wing aircraft. It also performed tactical reconnaissance and close air support[link] U.S. Navy Fact File, also GAO report. It was built for the VFAX/VFX Naval Fighter (Attack) Experimental requirement for an agile air superiority fighter and also incorporate the AIM-54 Phoenix missile as a fleet air defense interceptor against bombers and missiles. The F-14 Tomcat was the first and best known of the new highly successful generation of US teen-series air superiority fighters which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat in Vietnam against Migs.

It entered service in 1972 with the USN, replacing the F-4 Phantom II, and the abortive F-111B. It was later exported to the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) in 1976. The USN is replacing the F-14 with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2006. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) will remain the only air arm flying F-14s.

Contents
  • 4 Characteristics
  • 5 Variants
  • 6 Operators
  • 7 F-14 in combat
  • 8 F-14 in fiction and popular culture
  • 9 Specifications (F-14D Super Tomcat)
  • 10 External links
  • 11 References
  • 12 Related content

    • Origins

    The F-14 Tomcat was created in response to the U.S. Navy VFX specification, following termination of the F-111B program. However, the F-14 was actually started even earlier as an internal Grumman project to build the 1966 requirement for a VFAX, a lighter and more agile fighter that would be a better fighter than the F-4 Phantom II and a better bomber than the A-7 Corsair II. Grumman engineers after 1965 were tasked with creating the Naval version of the F-111 which introduced new fuel-efficient afterburning turbofan engines, swing wings for efficiency at landing, cruise and dash, and new large Phoenix missiles with over 100 mi range for the single point mission of fleet air defence. The VFAX was created when Navy planners realized the F-111B had been created a a missile carrier, but did not have the performance or maneuverability to counter MiGs which had been encountered over Vietnam in 1965.

    Grumman engineers simply transplanted the heart of the F-111B's engine and weapons systems optimized for the fleet air defence requirements onto this same airframe. As early as 1966, Flight International Magazine printed that the Navy had realized because of this proposal that a lighter VFAX which could carry the Phoenix would be better than a mixed fleet of F-111B interceptors and light VFAX fighter bombers. The Navy would hastily write the VFX specification around Grumman's design 303, which won the VFX competition. Grumman would retain the TF30 afterburning turbofan engines and AWG-9/Phoenix weapons system of the F-111B. To reduce costs, the F-14 would share the landing gear, air ducts, and wing of the Grumman A-6 Intruder in a lighter and more agile airframe than the F-111B, with redesigned swing wings, a blended wing / body, and extensive use of titanium which had matured since the SST and SR-71 projects. The F-14 would not only be a better fighter, but also be a better multi-role bomber than the F-4 Phantom. The Tomcat was the most powerful and maneuverable fighter at its introduction and it would remain competitive with the best air superiority 4th generation fighters until its retirement. The swing wing and long range interception capabilities would never again be duplicated on any subsequent fighter designs of any nation, and would be retired primarily for maintenance costs rather than any deficiencies in combat capability. The F-14 Tomcat was the first of a new generation of air superiority fighters designed from lessons learned in air combat over Vietnam with Soviet Mig fighters.

    Operational History

    United States Navy

    An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in the old color scheme from the beginning of its service.
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    An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in the old color scheme from the beginning of its service.

    The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom II in USN service starting in September 1974 with squadrons VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65). In 1995, an upgrade program was initiated to incorporate new digital avionics and weapon system improvements to strengthen its multi-mission competitive edge. The F-14D, delivered in 1990 in reduced numbers, was a major upgrade with F110 engines, new AN/APG-71 radar system, Airborne Self Protection Jammer (ASPJ), Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) and Infrared Search and Track (IRST). Additionally, all F-14 variants were given precision strike capability using the LANTIRN targeting system, night vision compatibility, new defensive countermeasures systems and a new digital flight control system. At the end of its life, the F-14 Tomcat was upgraded with ROVER, a system which allows a Forward Air Controller (FAC) on the ground to see real-time images acquired by the aircraft's sensors by transmitting these images to the FAC's laptop.

    In the Gulf War conflict, U.S. F-14s were used primarily for strike package escort and reconnaissance due to the way the Air Tasking Orders were set up. The emissions from the AWG-9/APG-71 are instantly recognizable, due to its very powerful transmitter. When Iraqi fighters were detected inbound, as soon as the Tomcats "lit up" the Iraqis would immediately abandon the attack while well out of range, perhaps indicating their familiarity with both the Tomcat and the AIM-54.

    Hi Lo

    The US Marine Corps elected to wait for the F/A-18 to replace the F-4, in a pattern consistent with their decision in the 70s and 80s to also retain the proven AH-1 Cobra and M-60 tank over the latest USN and Army weapons. With higher energy costs, the Blue Angels demonstration team would switch to the more econmical Top Gun nemesis, the A-4 Skyhawk during the 1980s. While the F-14 had been developed as a light weight alternative to the 80,000 lb F-111B, the F-14 was still the largest and most expensive fighter in its time. VFAX was revived in the 1970s as a lower cost solution to replacing the Navy's fleet of USMC Phantoms, and A-7. VFAX would be turned into the USAF LWF fighter competition, from which the F/A-18 Hornet emerged as roughly a midsize fighter, which could dogfight as well or better than the Tomcat in a size and range / payload somewhat smaller than the Phantom with carrying fewer AIM-7 Sparrow medium range missiles. [hi-lo] In a mixed force, the Hornet was introduced with the dubious distiction of being the world's first dual-role fighter (which the F-14 had been built as, but not operationally used). The F-14 would continue to be tasked solely for fleet defence. After the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team switched from their downsized T-38 Talon to their frontline F-16 Falcon, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew F/A-18s rather than the large F-14 Tomcat.

    Decommissioning of the F-14

    An F-14 and its eventual replacement, an F-18, prepare for launch aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), 1985.
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    An F-14 and its eventual replacement, an F-18, prepare for launch aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), 1985.

    Grumman had submitted several proposals to the Navy to upgrade the Tomcat beyond the D model (such as the Super Tomcat 21, the cheaper QuickStrike version, and the more advanced Attack Super Tomcat 21) but the F/A-18E/F was chosen as the future Navy attack aircraft instead. Grumman was acquired by Northrop Corporation in 1994 (the F-14 was probably the only program keeping them in business), sealing the fate of the F-14.

    Without the ability to re-manufacture or replace the F-14 fleet, the tired and high-maintenance airframes and engines fitted mostly with technology from the 1970s are reaching the limit of their useful lives, though by many standards the F-14 is still competitive or superior to most other operational fighters, including the Super Hornet. The decision to incorporate the F/A-18E/F and decommission the F-14 is mainly due to the high amount of maintenance required to keep the Tomcats operational. On average, an F-14 requires nearly fifty maintenance hours for every flight hour, five to ten times that required by the F/A-18E/F.

    When the A-12 was canceled, the Navy opted to upgrade the Hornet to the F/A-18E/F as an alternate way to replace the strike capability of the A-6 Intruder. This also improved the oft-criticized short range and payload capabilities of the Hornet, with the 65 mi range AIM-120 AMRAAM fire and forget missile, and a 66,000 lb gross weight, ironically not only heavier than the F-4 Phantom, and comparable to the F-14, but also the 55,000 gross weight requirement that helped kill the F-111B. With a little nudging from then defence secretary Dick Cheney who refused congressional requests for funding new-build F-14s, the Navy elected to build more Super Hornets, given trade offs in cost and combat capability, and perhaps fashions of the current time.

    The former engineering manager of the F-14, Bob Kress, estimates that the F/A-18E/F has about half the range / payload capability of the F-14. The radius of an F-14 carrying four 2,000-pound LGBs, two HARM missiles, two Sidewinders and two, 280-gallon external tanks is at least 500 statute miles. E/F Super Hornets are not as agile in combat as the original Hornets. They have a gross weight over 66,000 lb, not only heavier than the classic heavyweight F-4 Phantom, but comparable to the Tomcat, and even exceeds the original 55,000 TFX specification which shot down the F-111B. Yet the "superbugs" have only a 350-statute-mile radius carrying about half the bomb load. [http://www.flightjournal.com/articles/f14f18_1.asp Flight Journal F-18E vs F-14 with Bob Kress.

    While the F6D Missileer was slated to carry eight and the F-14 carried six medium or long range missiles, the Super Hornet will load out at four AIM-7 Sparrow or AMRAAM missiles with a shorter range than the elderly Phoenix. It has a higher approach speed, and does not have a Mach 2 capability. The F-14 was never developed much beyond new engines, while the F/A-18E/F is an evolution of complete redesigns with the F-5 Freedom Fighter as the starting point through the YF-17 Cobra and F/A-18. Aviation Week on F-17 design The Hornet and Super Hornet may well replace all carrier jet combat aircraft until the JSF. When the F-14 first flew, a flight deck would have tankers, EW, ASW, daylight and all weather fighter, attack, and reconnaisance types. To put some perspective in the age of the technology and style, the fastest production stock car in 1970 was the massive Plymouth Superbird which also had trademark aerodynamic gimmicks like a nose cone and goalpost spoiler not seen since the 70s. Today's fast cars are trim turbo compacts and Corvettes. One might compare the fate of the large, complex F-14 to the replacement of battleship by smaller, less expensive thin-skinned ships that just do not have the same punch.

    The F-14 has completed its decommissioning from the U.S. Navy. It was slated to remain in service through at least 2008, but all F-14A and F-14B airframes have already been retired, and the last two squadrons, the VF-31 Tomcatters and the VF-213 Black Lions, both flying the "D" models, arrived for their [last fly-in] at Naval Air Station Oceana on 10 March 2006. The F-14 Tomcat will be removed from service and officially stricken from the inventory in September of 2006.

    The last F-14 combat mission was completed on February 8, 2006, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) after one dropped a bomb in Iraq. The plane was part of VF-31 and the last pilot credited with a bomb drop in combat was Lt. Bill Frank. An F-14D from VF-213 was the last F-14 to land on an aircraft carrier after a combat mission, it was piloted by Capt. William G. Sizemore. During their final deployment with the USS Theodore Roosevelt, VF-31 and VF-213 collectively completed 1,163 combat sorties totaling 6,876 flight hours, and dropped 9,500 pounds of ordnance during reconnaissance, surveillance, and close air support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 10, 2006, the 22 planes from these squadrons flew in formation into Naval Air Station Oceana, home from the last combat deployment of the F-14. VF-213 pilots and radar interception officers who are making the transition to the Super Hornet will begin F/A-18F (double seat) training in April 2006, and the squadron will be operational, or "safe for flight," in September 2006. VF-31 pilots who are making the transition will begin F/A-18E (single seat) training in October 2006, and the squadron will be safe for flight in April 2007. This will make VF-31 the last official Tomcat squadron in the Navy. Because of its popularity, and long service life, the Navy is attempting to place as many of its retired F-14s on public display as possible. Consequently, aircraft mothballed at the Davis-Monthan "Boneyard" will be retained for as long as possible while homes are found for them[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22325 TR Traps Last Tomcat from Combat Mission, from Navy Newsstand.

    Imperial Iranian Air Force/ Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

    A "Top Gun" F-14A, painted to resemble an Iranian fighter for adversary training.
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    A "Top Gun" F-14A, painted to resemble an Iranian fighter for adversary training.

    The sole foreign customer for the Tomcat was the Imperial Iranian Air Force (now called the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) during the reign of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Due to the F-14's cost, lack of ground attack capacity, and the US government's preference to champion the F-15 Eagle for export, it was an unpopular export aircraft.

    A total of 80 aircraft were ordered, 79 of which were delivered between 1976 and 1978. Due to the overthrow of the Shah, the last unit was embargoed and turned over to the United States Navy. The weapons embargo on Iran also cut off spare parts and technical assistance for the aircraft. For many years it was thought from that point forward Iran used the fighter primarily as an airborne radar controller, escorted and protected by other fighters, but later information indicates this was incorrect.

    There are reports that the aircraft was used extensively in the Iran-Iraq War and some claim it achieved over one hundred kills. Although information from that war is notably sketchy and sources often suspect, a phenomenon from the early part of the Gulf War, as well as U.S. AWACS surveillance of Iranian F-14 operations indicate the aircraft did see some degree of combat. U S AWACS observed the downing of an Iraqi Tupolev Tu-22 "Blinder" bomber, and the downing of at least one F-14. Official "kills" attributed to the F-14 generally fall in the range of 23 to 35 aircraft destroyed, with the loss of several IIAF F-14's.

    Some rumors suggest that a few of the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles supplied to Iran before the revolution were sold to the Soviet Union, where they may have strongly influenced the development of the similar Vympel AA-9 'Amos' long-range missile. In return, the Soviets may have assisted in returning the Phoenix to service in Iran. There were also rumors that suggested that Iran's Tomcat fleet would be upgraded with avionics derived from the MiG-31 Foxhound. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force officials and pilots are definite that Soviets were never allowed near the F-14s and never received any F-14 or AIM-54 technology. Also, the AIM-54 missile was never out of service in the IRIAF, though the stocks of operational missiles were low at times. Clandestine deliveries from US sources and black market purchases supplied spares to top up the Phoenix reserves during the war, and spares deliveries from the USA in the 1990s have also helped. Furthermore, an attempt was made to adapt the MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles that were also a carryover from the pre-revolution period to be used as air-to-air missiles for the F-14, and at least two F-14s have been successfully integrated.

    Characteristics

    An F-14A escorts a Tu-95 Bear. The Tomcat's wings are swept forward because of the slow speed of the escorted aircraft.
    Enlarge
    An F-14A escorts a Tu-95 Bear. The Tomcat's wings are swept forward because of the slow speed of the escorted aircraft.

    The Tomcat consists of a high forward nacelle containing the radar and cockpits, and two widely spaced engines arranged around a flat fuselage that contains the variable geometry mechanism. The space between the engines allows for underbody carriage of many external stores. The F-14 retains conformal underbody carriage of 4 AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, two under the forward and two under the center fuselage. Unlike the complex swivelling pylons on the F-111B which cannot carry a full load at full sweep, all load stations are on fixed pylons under the body or the fixed wing glove, and are fully usable at all wing sweeps. In addition, external fuel tanks can be mounted under each engine. The F-111 was limited to four swivelling and two fixed wing pylons and an internal weapons bay.

    The F-14 met its design goal of exceeding the slatted F-4J. Compared to the F-4, the F-14A has an improvement of 21% in acceleration and sustained G-Force, 20% increase in rate of climb, 27% increase in maneuvering capability and 40% in turning radius. It also handily beat A-4 Skyhawk aggressors simulating the MiG-17, which had caused so many problems over Vietnam and sealed the fate of the F-111B.

    The flat, pancake-like section between the engines acts as an airfoil to provide additional lift, giving the Tomcat an effective wing area about 40% greater than its actual wing dimensions. This results in relatively low effective wing loading. The Tomcat also has a Mach Sweep Programmer (MSP) that automatically adjusts the wing angle for optimum flight performance, the only variable-geometry aircraft so equipped. (A similar system was tested but not used for the Panavia Tornado ADV). Movable glove vanes extended to offset the migration of the center of lift rearwards as airspeed increased, and these were even implemented on 1/72 plastic models of the era. However for maintainability, given the amount of time actually spent at high Mach, they were subsequently removed.

    Unlike most variable-geometry aircraft that are optimized for fast, low-altitude attack, the Tomcat uses its swing wings forward to enhance low-speed maneuverability.

    Sometimes called underpowered, it lacked advanced technology to give a 1:1 combat thrust-to-weight ratio desired in later fighters. The Pratt & Whitney TF-30 turbofans gave long range and loiter times, but were troublesome and were not well adapted for air combat; they were subject to compressor stalls in violent maneuvers or high angle of attack and provided only a slight thrust to weight advantage over the F-4 Phantom II. Once the F110 engines arrived, which had power and reliability comparable to the F-15, the aircraft realized its full potential.

    Although the F-14 has been tested at speeds of up to Mach 2.4+ dashes with a full missile load, very few operations have been conducted at Mach 2. Despite the low landing speed afforded by forward swept wings and flaps, the F-14 has been called notoriously difficult to land on a carrier deck. The most famous incident was the fatal 1994 crash of Lt. Kara Hultgreen on approach[CNN:Sources: Navy had different standards for women pilots photo, video].

    The Tomcat was intended as an uncompromising air superiority fighter and interceptor, charged with defending carrier battle groups against Soviet Navy aircraft armed with cruise missiles. It carried the Hughes AN/AWG-9 long-range radar originally developed for the F-111B, which provided a fire-and-forget capability. The system was capable of detecting bomber-sized targets at ranges exceeding 160 km (100 miles), tracking 24 targets and engaging six simultaneously. This capability filled by the now-retired Phoenix missile sets the F-14 apart and has not been incorporated in any other subsequent US fighter design, even the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet which replaces the F-14, or the F-22 Raptor which is replacing the F-15 Eagle. In a now famous test, an F-14 simultaneously shot down five of six target drones. However, what was not commonly disclosed is that the drones were flying dumb profiles, not jamming or evading the missiles as actual targets would. The AIM-54 has an unusual profile of flying at Mach 5 to 70,000 ft and then diving to destroy its target, impressive but of no use in a dogfight. The AIM-54 has rarely, if ever, been used in service and only be carried by the F-14, and was retired in 2004. Up to six of these 1,000 lb weapons could be carried on special underbody aerodynamic pallets and glove pylons. However, their heavy weight only enabled the F-14 to bring back 4 on a carrier. Medium-range armament was provided by the AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active radar homing missile. The AIM-120 AMRAAM which is available with ranges out to 65 nm is compatable with almost all modern fighters (the F-14 was skipped because it is nearing retirement, and had the AIM-54), and is being fitted to Hornets and Super Hornets to give a fire and forget missile to the remaining carrier based fighters. For short ranges, two AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared missiles are carried on the outer wing glove pylons.

    A significant ommission on the F-4 was a gun, which were built into late USAF F-4E Phantoms. An internal M61 Vulcan 20 mm multibarrel cannon was installed in the F-14. Some F-14s are also equipped to carry the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) pod, giving the Navy what was then its only manned tactical reconnaissance platform.

    Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003).
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    Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003).

    The F-14 was originally designed with a potent strike capability with payload and range rivaling the A-6. Payload is comparable to the Phantom, with a wide underbody and fixed pylons that can accommodate a variety of bomb loads and external tanks. But the F-111 debacle led to the common fighter community motto "Not a pound for air to ground". Planners deployed their most expensive fighters only for air superiority and fleet defense, as did the USAF, even though the ground attack capability was never actually removed from F-15s.

    Only in the 1990s, after the Air Force adapted the F-15E as strike fighter, and the A-6 was being withdrawn, F-14s were fitted to carry the LANTIRN pod which enabled delivery of Laser-guided bombs. Such planes were often called "Bombcats". After the retirement of the A-6 Intruder, the F-14 was the longest range strike platform on U.S. aircraft carriers and was used on long-range missions over Afghanistan.

    Variants

    Operators

    United States Navy (USN) squadrons

    F-14, front view
    Enlarge
    F-14, front view

    Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) squadrons

    F-14 in combat

    Main article: Combat history of the F-14
    F-14s of the U.S. Navy have shot down five enemy aircraft for no losses. One has been lost to a surface-to-air missile. The combat record of the F-14 in IRIAF service is much debated. In 1980 the downing of a Soviet-built Iraqi Tupolev Tu-22 "Blinder" bomber was observed by AWACS crews, while other incidents remain unconfirmed . Recent books by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop claim nearly 150 kills.

    F-14 in fiction and popular culture

    Specifications (F-14D Super Tomcat)

    An F-14 launches an AIM-7 Sparrow
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    An F-14 launches an AIM-7 Sparrow

    Unit cost
    • Unit Cost: US$38 million

    External links

    References

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