Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Summary

Category	Combat aircraft
Origin country	🇺🇸 United States
First flight	21 December 1970
Year of introduction	1972
Number produced	712 units
Average unit price	$38 million

Description

First of all, a little bit of history... Why "TOMCAT"? This, of course, has nothing to do with the Tom cat who always acts foolishly chasing after Jerry the mouse, which he never actually catches. No, this Tomcat had real claws and was much less foolish. And it was named as such because it cost an admiral his career: Tom Connelly, the one who made the genesis of Fighter #14 possible in the US inventory...

It all happened on the day when Senator McNamara, who did not have a favorable opinion of the military, wanted to sell the F-111 to the Air Force and Navy at all costs. McNamara did not want to hear anything about the poor performance of the aircraft on aircraft carriers and insisted on pushing the "pill" through... So, Admiral Connelly, completely outraged, stood before Congress and declared loudly, "Senator, the faith of all Christendom would not be enough to make the F-111 a fighter!". This statement was enough to bury the F-111 forever... as well as the admiral himself. But the F-14 was born...

And in memory of that daring admiral, the Grumman company named its fighter "Tomcat," Tom's cat. The F-14 Tomcat was one of the most famous American fighters of the Cold War era, made popular by numerous novels and films, including the memorable Top Gun.

Variable geometry was adopted for this extraordinary aircraft after several failed attempts with fixed-wing designs. It was the technical solution to a delicate problem: according to the specifications, the new aircraft had to be able to intervene at very long distances, which implied that it had to be able to loiter for long hours (at low speed and wait for the right moment) while also having the capability to gain air superiority upon engagement.

An aircraft capable of performing these two missions needs to be able to "optimize" itself during flight. Hence the wise choice of variable geometry. Its wings automatically deploy (unlike the Tornado and MiG-23 Flogger) at low speed to increase lift and maneuverability, especially during critical phases of takeoff and landing (the Tomcat had a shorter takeoff distance compared to the Eagle: less than 600m). But as the wings retracted gradually with increasing speed, the drag decreased and the Tomcat became a "scalded cat."

But one of the main advantages of this aircraft lay in its long-range radar: the F-14 could engage an aggressor before being detected itself, thanks to its Hughes AWG-9 radar, which could track up to 24 targets and engage 6 simultaneously while also scanning the three-dimensional space.

Upon entering service, the Tomcat carried a formidable 20mm Vulcan cannon, which fired lead at 6,000 rounds per minute. There was no question of repeating the same mistake as in Vietnam. In addition to its internal cannon, it carried three types of missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder (visual combat), AIM-7 Sparrow (medium-range), and AIM-54 Phoenix (long-range). The F-14 could also carry an offensive payload of 5,900 kg, consisting of air-to-ground missiles of all ranges as well as unguided and guided bombs. The Tomcat's preferred air-to-air weapon was the remarkable AIM-54 Phoenix missile, with a range of 160 km, coupled with its AWG-9 radar. Even during the Cold War era, few countries could afford to acquire this very expensive fighter (approximately $38M per unit), despite its high performance. The Tomcat was only exported to Iran, which wished to deter frequent Soviet incursions into its airspace, with 80 units being delivered.

One of its disadvantages was its powerplant: the Pratt & Whitney TF30. The same engine that equipped the F-111... This engine would handicap it for a significant part of its operational career, causing numerous crashes and pilot fatalities. It could not handle high incidence maneuvers. And yet, the Tomcat was a fighter, not designed to fly only in a straight line... During ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) engagements against F-15 or F-16 aircraft, the TF30 often failed when the Tomcat pitched at more than 60° incidence and was almost always unrecoverable.

In long-range combat, the Tomcat almost always emerged victorious. But in dogfighting, the Eagles dominated without dispute... Ironically, the Tomcat would finally find the perfect engine at the twilight of its career: the General Electric F110.

Three main versions of this aircraft can be distinguished: - F-14A: All-weather, two-seat interceptor for the US Navy. Modifications were introduced late in its life to add precision-guided munitions capability. 545 F-14A aircraft were delivered to the US Navy and 79 to Iran. The last 102 F-14A aircraft were delivered with an improved version of the TF30-P-414A engine. Additionally, the 80th F-14A built for Iran was delivered to the US Navy. - F-14A + Plus or F-14B: Improved version of the F-14A with GE F110-400 engines. A large portion of the avionics and the AWG-9 radar were retained. 38 new aircraft were built, and 48 F-14A aircraft were converted to the B standard. In the late 1990s, 67 F-14Bs were modified to extend their structural life and improve offensive and defensive avionics. This new version was named the F-14B Upgrade. - F-14D Super Tomcat/Bombcat: The final operational version of the F-14. The original TF30 engines were replaced with GE F110-400 engines, similar to those on the F-14B. The F-14D also had new digital avionics, an all-glass cockpit, and a new APG-71 radar to replace the AWG-9. 37 aircraft were built, and 18 F-14A aircraft were upgraded.

Super Tomcat 21: A version equipped with supercruise, reduced radar signature, greater endurance, and other features. Dick Cheney, who was the Secretary of Defense at the time, ordered the end of the F-14 program by ordering the destruction of the aircraft assembly lines. He also decided to develop the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, intended to assume the role that might have been filled by this Super Tomcat.

The last combat mission of the F-14 took place on February 8, 2006. It was a bombing operation in Iraq. The final flight of a US F-14 took place on October 4, 2006. Many aircraft were given to museums, while others were or are in the process of being scrapped to prevent them from being used clandestinely as spare parts by Iran. A sad ending for a legend...

Technical specifications

Version: F-14A
Crew	1 pilot + 1 WSO
Operational range	1231 km (765 mi)
Maximum speed	2485 km/h (1544 mph)
Wing area	52.5 m² (565.0 sqft)
Wingspan	19.6 m (64.1 ft)
Height	4.9 m (16.0 ft)
Length	19.1 m (62.7 ft)
Service ceiling	17069 m (56001 ft)
Empty weight	18191 kg (40104 lbs)
Max. takeoff weight	33724 kg (74349 lbs)
Climb rate	152.0 m/s (498.7 ft/s)
Powerplant	2 × turbojets Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A delivering 5602 kgp, up to 9480 kgp with afterburner
Ejection seat	Martin-Baker GRU-7A