The Grumman F-14 Tomcat
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The Grumman F-14 Tomcat
v1.0.1 / 01 jun 03 / greg goebel / public domain
* One of the mainstays of US Navy fleet defense in the late 20th century was
the Grumman "F-14 Tomcat", a twin-engine interceptor armed with long-range
Phoenix missiles. The Tomcat is now in its final years of Navy service,
having also been pressed into the reconnaissance and, as the "Bombcat",
strike roles. This document provides a short history of the F-14.
[1] TOMCAT ORIGINS
[2] F-14A TOMCAT DESCRIBED / F-14 TARPS
[3] TOMCAT IN SERVICE 1974:1991
[4] TOMCAT IN IRANIAN SERVICE
[5] F-14B / F-14D
[6] PROPOSED TOMCAT VARIANTS / TOMCAT UPGRADES
[7] BOMBCAT / TOMCAT IN SERVICE 1992:2003
[8] COMMENTS, SOURCES, & REVISION HISTORY
* In the late 1950s, the US Navy was interested in obtaining an interceptor
to protect carrier battle groups from adversary strike aircraft, and the
Douglas company proposed an aircraft named the "F6D-1 Missileer". The
Missileer was to carry advanced radar and eight big Bendix "AAM-M-10 Eagle"
long-range air-to-air missiles (AAMs) to knock down intruders at distances of
up to 205 kilometers (110 NMI), before they could get close enough to be a
real threat.
The whole idea was at least a bit ahead of its time and the development
program didn't go well. The Missileer itself began to look unpromising,
since it was envisioned as a lumbering "missile truck" that would not be
capable of close-in dogfighting, and the Eagle missile program faltered as
well. The Missileer was cancelled in December 1960. However, the work on
the advanced radar was not abandoned, and the Navy still retained the
requirement for a fleet-defense interceptor.
In the early 1960s, American Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara wanted to
promote commonality of equipment between different US armed services, and he
believed that the Navy could fill their requirement for a fleet-defense
interceptor with a navalized version of the Air Force's "variable geometry"
or "swing-wing" General Dynamics F-111A tactical fighter. Few thought this
was a good idea since the F-111 was a big, heavy machine, not all that
adaptable to carrier operation, but McNamara insisted.
The Navy never became very enthusiastic about the "F-111B", as their variant
was designated. The initial prototype performed its initial flight on 18 May
1965, with flight trials leading to a Navy report in October 1965 that
concluded the F-111B was highly unsatisfactory. Attempts were made to fix
the problems, but it was impossible. Congress cut funds in May 1968, work
was halted in July, and the program was formally axed in December, after the
construction of a total of seven F-111B prototypes and evaluation aircraft.
The Grumman company had actually been responsible for developing the F-111B
as a subcontractor for General Dynamics. In January 1966, following the
highly negative Navy report on the F-111B, at the Navy's request Grumman
began work on a set of designs for a more effective carrier-based
interceptor, with the company designation of "G-303", derived from their
F-111B work. Grumman submitted their finalist proposals to the Navy in
October 1967.
In July 1968, when the F-111B was clearly dead, the Navy began a new
competition for a fleet defense interceptor under the "VFX" program. Grumman
submitted the G-303 against proposals from North American, LTV, General
Dynamics, and McDonnell Douglas. Grumman, which tended to have a leg up in
any competition for the Navy as the company had been supplying excellent
aircraft to the service for decades, won the award in January 1969. The
project was assigned high priority. The Navy was worried about new Soviet
threat aircraft like the MiG-25 Foxbat, and the long delays in fielding an
improved fighter that piled up from the cancelled Missileer and F-111B
programs left the admirals very worried.
A mockup of the definitive G-303 concept was inspected by Navy officials in
the spring of 1969. Although some of the earlier concepts had featured fixed
wings, the mockup used swing wings. An initial development contract for six
prototype and evaluation "YF-14A Tomcats", as the type was designated, was
awarded to Grumman that same year. Incidentally, the name "Tomcat" was
selected partly to in tribute to Navy Admirals Thomas Connolly and Thomas
Moorer. Connolly was such a strong supporter of the program that the
aircraft was referred to as "Tom's Cat", and the name stuck. The contract
was later modified to fund twelve YF-14As. Development went forward under
Grumman program manager Mike Pelehach.
The initial prototype F-14A performed its first flight on 21 December 1970,
with company test pilots William "Bob" Miller and Robert Smythe in the
cockpit. It was a short hop with the wings left in the forward position.
The second flight was on 30 December 1970, when the prototype suffered a
catastrophic hydraulic systems failure. Both Miller and Smythe ejected
safely from just above the treetops, but of course the aircraft was
completely destroyed.
The second prototype made its first flight on 24 May 1971 and the program
moved swiftly after that, though there were serious cost overruns, as well as
a few more accidents:
- The number-five prototype was lost on 20 June 1973 during a Sparrow
missile stores separation trial, both crew ejecting safely. This mishap
led to a story that the aircraft had shot itself down with its own
air-to-air missile, but it was a typical stores-release accident, with the
missile pitching up after release and damaging the aircraft, leading to
its loss. This is precisely why stores-release trials are conducted, and
the accident led to the fit of more powerful pyrotechnic cartridges to
eject the missile.
- The tenth prototype was lost on 29 June 1973 in a crash that killed Bob
Miller, who had been fortunately flying with no back-seater.
Initial deliveries of production Tomcats to the Navy took place in October
1972, with the aircraft arriving at Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar in
California.
BACK_TO_TOP
* The F-14A is a big aircraft, with tandem seating for a pilot in front and
radar intercept officer (RIO) in back on Martin-Baker GRU-7A "zero-zero (zero
speed, zero altitude)" ejection seats. The cockpit layouts are specialized
for the pilot and RIO, and have little duplication. The aircrew sits under a
clamshell canopy that hinges open from the back. Visibility is said to be
very good. The aircrew gets into the cockpit on fold-out steps mounted on
the forward fuselage.
The variable-geometry wing scheme incorporates a number of advanced features.
One is the fit of "glove vanes", small triangular foreplanes mounted in the
wing gloves that are automatically extended at high speeds as the main wings
are swept back, compensating for any change in aircraft pitch caused by the
change in wing geometry.
The wing sweep is controlled by a "Mach sweep programmer" that automatically
moves the wings through the range of 20 degrees to 68 degrees sweep, as
dictated by flight requirements. The pilot can also set the sweep manually,
and can select a special 55-degree mode for ground attack. The wings can be
set back 75 degrees to an "oversweep" position, overlapping the horizontal
tailplane, for carrier-deck storage.
The wings feature spoilers to improve maneuverability, plus full-span
trailing-edge flaps and leading-edge slats to improve low-speed handling.
The inboard flaps are of course disabled when wing sweep blocks their
operation. The spoiler position can be tweaked by a thumbwheel on the
pilot's control stick during landing approach to adjust speed and angle of
descent without requiring a change in aircraft attitude, a scheme known as
"Direct Lift Control (DLC)".
The tail assembly features "all moving" horizontal tailplanes, with
differential action for roll control, and twin outward-canted vertical
tailfins. Some early concepts had featured a large single tailfin. There
are also twin ventral fins. The mockup had featured long ventral fins that
folded to the outside for landing, but in practice the ventral fins are
fixed. There are hydraulically-operated speed brakes on the top and bottom
of the rear fuselage forward of the engine exhausts.
The F-14A follows in the Grumman tradition of building rugged aircraft. It
is built primarily of aircraft aluminum alloy and titanium, with selective
use of graphite-epoxy composite assemblies. The aircraft was initially
powered by twin Pratt & Whitney (P&W) TF30-P-412 turbofans with 54.9 kN
(5,600 kgp / 12,350 lbf) dry thrust and 93 kN (9,480 kgp / 20,900 lbf)
afterburning thrust each. The TF30 was one of the items inherited from the
F-111B.
The engines are fitted in separate housings underneath the fuselage. The
major rationale for this configuration was that it ensured adequate airflow
to the engines, which had been a major problem for the F-111. It also gives
maintenance crews direct access to the engines and makes engine replacement
easier, though it has a few drawbacks as well. Each engine has a wedge-style
inlet with a variable ramp in the throat, and is canted slightly away from
the fuselage. A single external tank with a capacity of 1,011 liters (267 US
gallons) can be carried under each engine pod. A retractable inflight
refueling probe is fitted to the right side of the nose.
The main single-wheel landing gear retract forward into the wing gloves,
rotating 90 degrees to lie flat. The steerable nose gear has twin wheels, a
catapult hookup, and retracts forward as well. There is a stinger-type
arresting hook on the belly between the engine exhausts.
GRUMMAN F-14A TOMCAT:
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
wingspan (spread) 19.55 meters 64 feet 2 inches
wingspan (closed) 11.65 meters 38 feet 2 inches
length 19.10 meters 62 feet 8 inches
height 4.88 meters 16 feet
empty weight 18,190 kilograms 40,100 pounds
loaded weight 33,725 kilograms 74,350 pounds
max speed at altitude 2,520 KPH 1,565 MPH / 1,360 KT
service ceiling 17,100 meters 56,000 feet
combat patrol radius 1,235 kilometers 765 MI / 665 NMI
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
The combat patrol radius assumes fit of external tanks.
The Tomcat's distinctive weapon is the big Hughes "AIM-54 Phoenix" AAMs.
with a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and a fully active radar seeker,
allowing the missile to perform its terminal-phase attack on a target without
requiring that the Tomcat keep the target "illuminated" with radar. In
principle, it gave the Tomcat the ability to destroy intruders at very long
range.
The Phoenix was another item inherited from the F-111B, and is the ultimate
evolution of the Hughes Falcon series of AAMs. It owes something to the
Hughes "GAR-9" missile developed for the experimental Lockheed YF-12A
interceptor version of the SR-71 Blackbird. In principle, the Tomcat, which
is the only aircraft to ever carry the Phoenix operationally, can carry six
Phoenix missiles, with four carried in the fuselage "tunnel" between the
engines and two on wing pylons.
However, the Phoenix, nicknamed the "Buffalo" because of its size, is so
heavy that a Tomcat can't carry six of them if the aircraft is to land on a
carrier. No such restriction exists if the Tomcat is operating off a land
base. Another problem with carrying six Phoenix missiles is that the drag of
the two extra missiles on the wing glove pylons cuts into aircraft
performance and flight endurance.
In practice, a full armament load consists usually of four Phoenix missiles
on the tunnel stations, plus two AIM-9 Sparrow semi-active radar homing
(SARH) medium-range AAMs and two AIM-7 Sidewinder heatseeking short-range
AAMs, for a total of eight AAMs. A Sparrow and a Sidewinder are carried on a
special dual rack mounted on each wing glove pylon, with a Sparrow on the
bottom of the rack and a Sidewinder to the outside. This unusual
configuration was used because mounting stores pylons on a swing wing is
tricky while there was limited room on the wing gloves. If the Phoenix is
not carried, there are also recesses in the fuselage tunnel for carriage of
three more Sparrows.
The Phoenix and Sparrow are controlled by a Hughes AN/AWG-9 radar and the
AN/AWG-15 fire control computer. The AN/AWG-9 was also inherited from the
F-111B, with roots going back to the Missileer program as well as the
"AN/ASG-1" radar, developed by the Air Force for the cancelled North American
F-108 Rapier program and the Lockheed YF-12A. The AN/AWG-9 gives the Tomcat
a wide-area air-surveillance capability, with a range of 160 kilometers (100
miles) or more. The radar can search while tracking 24 targets, and engage
six targets simultaneously.
Early F-14As were fitted with a steerable "AN/ALR-23 Infrared Search and
Track (IRST)" sensor under the nose that could be slaved to the radar or used
independently. In the early 1980s, the IRST was replaced in Tomcat
production with the Northrop "AN/AXX-1 Television Camera Set (TCS)", a
steerable daylight video camera with a telephoto lens, and the TCS was
retrofitted to the earlier F-14As. TCS allows a Tomcat to inspect a target
at long range before engaging it, at least in daylight / clear weather
conditions. The inability to determine if a target was a friend or a foe had
been one of the limiting factors for use of "beyond visual range (BVR)" AAMs
such as the Sparrow in Vietnam.
Other stock avionics include UHF radio; identification friend or foe (IFF)
transponder and interrogator; an inertial navigation system; a TACAN
beacon-navigation system; an automatic direction finder; and a radar
altimeter. The F-14A was originally also fitted with an AN/APR-45 radar
warning receiver (RWR) system; AN/ALQ-126 deception jammers, with antennas in
the tips of the horizontal tailplane and under the nose; and AN/ALE-39
chaff-flare dispensers, mounted under a "boattail" fixture on the end of the
fuselage.
The Tomcat features a built-in General Electric (GE) M61A1 six-barreled
Gatling-type 20 millimeter cannon, with an ammunition store of 675 rounds.
The cannon is fitted under the left side of the cockpit.
* The Tomcat took up the reconnaissance role early on. In 1979, the Naval
Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, began development of the
"Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS)" for the Tomcat. TARPS was
derived from a reconnaissance system developed for the LTV A-7 strike fighter
but not fielded for that aircraft. The streamlined pod is about 5.18 meters
(17 feet) long; weighs 794 kilograms (1,750 pounds); and includes a CAI
KS-87B serial frame camera in the nose, a Fairchild KA-99 panoramic camera in
the midsection, and a Honeywell AN/AAD-5 infrared line scanner in the rear.
TARPS is carried on the right rear fuselage tunnel station. The pod requires
additional control, power, and environmental control connections, and so
Tomcats had to be specially modified to carry it, with about 50 aircraft
given TARPS capability. The modifications did not rule out carriage of the
Phoenix on that station. The system is controlled by the RIO in the back
seat who has a specialized TARPS display to observe reconnaissance data,
though the pilot does have a camera on-off switch on his stick as well. AAMs
can still be carried on the wing glove pylons for self-defense.
TARPS was introduced in 1980 and proved an extremely valuable, since
dedicated reconnaissance aircraft like the Vought RF-8G Crusader were being
phased out. TARPS was only supposed to be an interim solution, since the
Navy was hoping to obtain a dedicated reconnaissance version of the McDonnell
Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, but that didn't happen. The TARPS Tomcat would be a
Navy firstline reconnaissance asset for the rest of the century.
BACK_TO_TOP
* The Tomcat entered operational service with Navy fighter squadrons VF-1 and
VF-2 on board the carrier USS ENTERPRISE in September 1974. The Navy
eventually acquired 478 F-14As, including the 12 development aircraft, with
the type replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom and Vought F-8 Crusader
in US Navy service. Tomcat production put Grumman under severe financial
stress, as the contract with the Navy had specified a fixed delivery cost and
the late 1970s were a time of abnormally high price inflation in the US.
Grumman was forced to plead with the government for changes in the contract
before the Tomcat drove the company out of business, and the government did
agree to modify the arrangement.
Pilots called the F-14A the "Turkey" because of its profusion of control
surfaces on carrier approach. The nickname might have also initially
reflected some distaste for the type. The F-14A was not wildly popular with
its aircrews at first. It was a capable aircraft, but also big, heavy,
somewhat underpowered, was something of a handful on carrier approach, and
had a few nasty handling characteristics. The widely-separated engines meant
that if an engine was lost while in afterburner, the Tomcat would immediately
go into an unrecoverable spin. The P&W TF30 engines proved particularly
troublesome. The worst of the engine problems was a tendency to shed fan
blades, with the blades slicing through the aircraft's fuselage.
Intense effort by P&W led to the development of the more reliable
"TF30-P-414" variant, and a protective steel lining was installed in the
engine duct to protect the aircraft from engine failures, though at the
expense of increased engine weight. By 1979, all F-14As had been upgraded to
the new engine fit and the aircraft's reliability then rose to more
reasonable levels. In 1981, P&W introduced a minor upgrade of the engine,
the "TF30-P-414A".
The TF30 problems gave the engine a terrible reputation, but Pratt & Whitney
could at least plead mitigating circumstances. One of the major difficulties
was that the Tomcat had such excellent high-speed maneuverability, well
beyond that of the previous generation of fighters. This implied an equally
unprecedented level of tweaking throttle settings during high-thrust flight,
and it put an entirely unexpected level of stress on the engine. The same
problem would be encountered with other contemporary high-performance
fighters with other engines.
Despite its limitations, the Tomcat has been regarded as highly serviceable
for its designed role of providing air defense for carrier battle groups.
Its ability to loiter for extended periods at extended range, coupled with
its advanced missile armament and powerful radar, made it an impressive
shield against intruders such as adversary strike aircraft and, with the
introduction of the definitive AIM-54C Phoenix variant in 1979, long-range
antiship missiles. Its automatic swing wings also give it good
maneuverability in close-in combat.
The only concern with the Tomcat in the fleet-defense role is that it has
never been seriously tested in combat in such a scenario. There have been
many test firings of the Phoenix that have demonstrated a high kill ratio,
including a test performed in 1973 with a Tomcat ripple-firing six Phoenix
missiles to destroy six targets. This exercise was described by the pilot
involved, Commander John "Smoke" Wilson, as financially equivalent to
"setting fire to a ten-storey car park filled with brand-new Cadillacs."
However, there have been criticisms that this particular test was highly
contrived and unrepresentative of a real combat environment. In fact, it
appears that the Phoenix has never shot down an adversary aircraft in combat,
if partly because of limited opportunity, and it is difficult to give a true
assessment of its actual capability.
* This is by no means saying that the Tomcat has never fired a shot in anger.
Although Tomcats performed top cover flights during the evacuation of Vietnam
in 1975, they saw no combat in that exercise. The F-14A saw its first combat
in 1981, during confrontations between the US and Libya. The US government
under Ronald Reagan had "fingered" Colonel Mohamar Khadaffi, the eccentric
Libyan dictator, as a sponsor for international terrorism and wanted to show
him who the boss was.
Colonel Khaddafi had declared the Gulf of Sidra, bounded by Libya's coast in
the Mediterranean, as Libyan waters, and in defiance in the summer of 1981
Mr. Reagan ordered the US Navy to steam into the gulf and dare Khaddafi to do
something about it. There was a confrontation between US Navy Tomcats and
Libyan fighters on 18 August, but nobody made any wrong moves and nobody
opened fire.
The next day the Libyans got more aggressive and fighting broke out. Two
Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 ground-attack fighters confronted two US Navy F-14As,
piloted by Commander Henry "Hank" Kleeman and Lieutenant Larry "Music"
Muczynski from the carrier USS NIMITZ. The Su-22s approached head-on, with
the first firing an AAM that failed to track. Both Tomcats focused on the
lead Su-22 as it was the most immediate threat, but when Muczynski reported
that he had a target lock on the bandit Kleeman turned to get on the tail of
the second Su-22, which was passing them.
Both F-14As fired AIM-9L Sidewinders and scored hits. Both Libyan pilots
ejected, though only one parachute was seen to open. It hadn't been much of
a contest, Muczynski saying their opponents were "a couple of bush-leaguers
who couldn't even make the second-string team." However, it was an early and
classic example of Ronald Reagan's grasp of political theater, which as a
professional actor he understood instinctively, and it went over very well in
the American news media and the public.
The squabble had been otherwise of little consequence, except in one respect:
the US military had got into a fight and traded shots in what was supposed to
be peacetime. The big Cold War was still on in earnest for the time being,
while the era of continuous dirty little fights was being born.
* Tomcats from the carrier USS INDEPENDENCE equipped with the TARPS pod
performed reconnaissance sorties in support of the American invasion of the
Caribbean island of Grenada in October 1983 and in support of US operations
in Lebanon in the last months of 1983. Neither of these operations were much
to write home about either. The motivation for the Grenada operation was
questionable and the planning hasty and poor. The poorly-thought-out US
intervention in Lebanon proving a humiliating fiasco that made the Americans
appear weak.
At least the Grenada operation went over well with the US public, and it did
demonstrate the need to implement reforms in the military, particularly to
improve joint operations. The Lebanon fiasco was generally swept under the
carpet. It would come back to haunt the Americans later as it emboldened
Islamic terrorists to believe the US was easily intimidated.
The next action the Tomcats got into was much more successful, though it was
mostly theater as well. In October 1985, four Palestinian terrorists
hijacked the Italian cruise liner ACHILLE LAURO in the Mediterranean, where
they murdered an elderly American tourist. The terrorists managed to cut a
deal with Egypt to take an Egyptair Boeing 737 airliner to Libya.
American signals intelligence was monitoring the whole affair, and seven
Tomcats were scrambled from the carrier USS SARATOGA to intercept the
airliner. They forced it to land at Sigonella, Italy, where the terrorists
were arrested and tried by the Italians. It might not have been a massive
blow to terrorism, but it was great action-movie stuff. It is little wonder
in hindsight why Ronald Reagan was so popular in his time.
* Despite these distractions, Mr. Reagan had not forgotten his old nemesis
Colonel Khaddafi. In March and April of 1986, the US Navy played the same
game of provoking the Libyans in the Mediterranean under OPERATION PRAIRIE
FIRE, and got a response. The Libyans fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs)
at some Navy aircraft, and Libyan MiG-25 Foxbat fighters confronted US Navy
Tomcats. In response, Navy aircraft flew strikes against Libyan targets on
24 through 26 March. Tomcats flew top cover but did little or no shooting.
Then, on 2 April 1986, a bomb blew up in a Berlin disco that was a popular
hangout for US servicemen, killing two people, including one GI, and injuring
200. Signals intelligence linked the bombing to terrorists backed by the
Libyans. The evidence was unambiguous and Mr. Reagan authorized another
strike, a big one this time, designated OPERATION EL DORADO CANYON. A large
combined US Navy and US Air Force air fleet struck selective targets in Libya
on the night of 15 April 1986. US Navy Tomcats provided air cover for the
operation, protecting both Navy and USAF aircraft. The Air Force strike
aircraft were operating from the UK and the extreme range made Air Force
fighter protection impractical. In any case, the Tomcats didn't fire a shot.
The strikes came close to killing Colonel Khaddafi and Libyan support for
terrorism seemed to go on the fade, but the US Navy was not done with
Khaddafi just yet. The US Navy performed yet another provocation exercise in
the Gulf of Sidra in early 1989, and on 4 January 1989 two Tomcats from the
USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (JFK) were on combat patrol when they were confronted by
two Libyan MiG-23 fighters.
The crews of the two Tomcats included the squadron boss, Commander Joseph B.
"Beads" Connelly, with Commander Leo F. Enright in the back seat, and
Lieutenant Hermon C. Cook III, with Commander Steven P. Collins in the back
seat. A Grumman E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft warned them of the
takeoff and approach of the MiGs, which the Tomcats then picked up on their
own AN/AWG-9 radar at long range. The MiGs were on an approach vector, and
when the Tomcats changed their own course several times, the MiGs changed
their course to keep on coming at them.
This all was monitored on board the JFK, and the Tomcat crews were given the
authorization: "Warning yellow, weapons hold" -- indicating they recognized
as being under threat ("warning yellow") and were free to prepare for and
engage in combat ("weapons hold", as opposed to "weapons tight"). The
fighters launched two Sparrows and a Sidewinder, with one Sparrow and the
Sidewinder scoring kills. Both Libyan pilots ejected successfully, but were
apparently lost at sea. The press made a bit of a fuss about the kills,
misinterpreting the "weapons hold" command as meaning "hold your fire" and
suggesting the Tomcat crews were trigger-happy, but the Navy said it was done
by the book.
* Tomcats flew air patrols again during the 1988:1989 Persian Gulf convoy
operations, occasionally firing missiles at Iranian F-4 Phantoms but not
scoring any kills. F-14s also flew during the 1991 Gulf War, performing air
patrols to protect Navy ships, which as it turned out were never presented
with any real threat. It appears that the only kill scored by F-14As during
the conflict was of a Mil Mi-8 "Hip" helicopter, shot down by two Tomcats on
6 February 1991.
TARPS-equipped Tomcats did get more into the thick of things, with one being
shot down, apparently by ground fire, on 21 January 1991. Both aircrew
ejected safely. The pilot, Lieutenant Devon Jones, was rescued by a combat
search-and-rescue team, but his back-seater, Lieutenant Lawrence R. "Rat"
Slade was captured and remained a prisoner for the rest of the brief war.
This was apparently the only combat loss of a US Navy Tomcat.
* During the rest of the year, the final act of the end of the USSR played
itself out, and by the end of 1991 the Soviet Union was history and so was
the Cold War. It was the Tomcat's fortune (or misfortune) to go into service
in the role of defending Navy fleet elements at a time when threats to US
ships at sea were on the decline, and so during that era the Tomcat didn't
really see a great deal of shooting action.
On the other hand, the sputtering quarrels it did see action in were the
shape of the future. As much fuss as the Reagan Administration made about
Colonel Khaddafi, the "Libyan Lunatic" was not much of a threat compared to
what would come later, and in hindsight Khaddafi seems a little bit like a
comic-opera dictator decked out with too much gold braid. The Tomcat would
see more action from that time, but mostly in a different role, as discussed
later.
BACK_TO_TOP
* The only foreign user of the F-14 was Iran. The Shah of Iran ordered 40
"F-14AGRs" in 1974, followed by 40 more in 1975. They were almost stock
F-14As with some minor changes, such as a desert survival kit and no door
over the retractable flight refueling probe. There was some concern that
Iran was biting off more than it could chew with the Tomcat, but the Shah
wanted an interceptor that could deal with intrusions by Soviet MiG-25
reconnaissance aircraft over Iran's northern border. The Tomcat and its
Phoenix missile seemed to fit the bill.
79 new-build aircraft were delivered before the Shah's downfall in the
Iranian Revolution and his death from cancer not long afterward. The 80th
Iranian Tomcat was retained stateside by the US Navy. 284 of the 714 Phoenix
missiles on order were also delivered. These were simplified versions of the
missile, lacking the electronic counter-countermeasures capabilities of their
US Navy equivalents.
Iranian F-14s were painted in a neat, thoroughly un-naval desert camouflage
scheme featuring a sand-colored base and banding with several shades of
brown. They are believed to have seen some action in the Iran-Iraq war,
using their powerful AN/AWG-9 radar to act as an air controller for other
fighters. However, it was much more difficult to obtain spares for the
Tomcats in the face of a somewhat leaky Western arms embargo than for the
Iranian F-4 and F-5 fighters, since there were many nations that used these
two earlier types. Eventually the lack of spares grounded the Tomcats.
A few Iranian F-14s are believed to have been shot down during the war, with
the Iranian F-14s claiming a small number of kills of their own. It is known
that the Soviet Union obtained both the F-14 and the Phoenix missile for
reverse-engineering from Iran. It is unclear if this was done by the Iranian
Islamic Republic's government or by a defecting Iranian pilot. F-14
technology may have influenced development of the Soviet MiG-31 "Foxhound" or
"Super Foxbat", and it seems very likely that the Phoenix had a strong
influence on the Soviet "AA-9 Amos" AAM, since the two missiles closely
resemble each other externally.
This loss was something of a blow to the US, as the US Navy had been careful
not to compromise the Tomcat's secrets. On 14 September 1976, a
Phoenix-armed F-14A had rolled off the deck of the US Navy carrier JOHN F.
KENNEDY in the North Sea, with the crew ejecting safely. Of course a Red
Navy cruiser had been shadowing the American carrier group and presumably the
Soviet sailors didn't fail to notice the bungle, and so the Navy performed an
expensive eight-week deep-water recovery effort to retrieve the fighter. It
is unclear if it ever returned to service after recovery, though it seems a
bit unlikely.
In any case, the Phoenix was compromised at the same time that the AIM-54C
variant was in development. As a result, the missile's development program
was modified to ensure that the new variant of the Phoenix could defeat
countermeasures developed against older variants.
BACK_TO_TOP
* The TF30 turbofan was never entirely satisfactory, and in fact it had only
been specified because the Navy was in such a hurry to get the Tomcat into
service. The TF30 had been intended from the outset as a interim fit until
sometime better became available.
Pratt & Whitney came up with a better engine, the P&W F401-P-400 turbofan
with 56.7 kN (5,775 kgp / 12,740 lbf) thrust. Two prototypes of the "F-14B"
fitted with this engine were to be built. The first prototype, rebuilt from
the seventh YF-14, performed its initial flight on 12 September 1973. The
Navy also wanted to build an "F-14C" with the TF30-P-414A and improved
avionics. However, the F401 engine development program ran into trouble.
Both the F-14B and the F-14C were cancelled, and the second F-14B prototype
never flew.
The Navy didn't give up on the idea of a Tomcat with a more satisfactory
engine, and in the early 1980s the service selected a variant of the GE F101
turbofan, developed for the Rockwell B-1 bomber, for evaluation on the
Tomcat. The old F-14B prototype was pulled out of storage, fitted with the
an "F101-DFE (Derivative Fighter Engine)", and performed its initial flight
on 14 July 1981.
Performance was so impressive that the Navy decided to authorize development
of a production version of the new engine, the GE "F110", which featured fan
and afterburner derived from the GE F404 engine used on the F/A-18 Hornet.
The F-14B prototype was reengined again, with GE F110-GE-400 engines,
performing its first flight in this configuration on 29 September 1986 with
test pilot Joe Burke at the controls. Five more Tomcats were upgraded with
the F110 for development and evaluation.
The new engine was all that was desired, and on 15 February 1987 the Navy
placed a contract for an initial batch of production F110 engines. They were
to be used to manufacture of what amounted to a stock F-14A fitted with the
GE engines, originally designated the "F-14A (Plus)". Refit of the new
engine was straightforward as its form-factor was very similar to that of the
TF30, demanding only minor airframe modifications.
38 new-build F-14A (Plus) Tomcats were built, along with 32 conversions from
F-14As, the first entering service in late 1988. None of the new-build
machines were configured for TARPS. In 1991, the F-14A (Plus) was
redesignated the "F-14B", recycling the designation of the F401 demonstrator,
which had been converted to the new configuration.
It is difficult to tell an F-14B from an F-14A. The F-14B has bigger exhaust
nozzles, no wing glove vanes, a modified door near the gun port, and antennas
for a new AN/ALR-67 radar warning receiver (RWR) under the wing gloves. The
new engines not only provide improved performance, for example allowing
carrier takeoffs without afterburner, they also are more fuel-economical,
permitting longer loiter times or a greater radius of action, and can be
operated without the same kind of babying demanded by the old TF30s.
* The Navy also decided to obtain an F110-powered Tomcat with a substantially
improved digital avionics suite, including an AN/APG-71 radar system; a
modernized cockpit layout, featuring new display systems and compatible with
night-vision goggles (NVGs); new Martin-Baker Mark 17 NACES ejection seats;
an AN/ALR-67 RWR; dual MIL-STD 1553B digital data buses; and both IRST and
TCS sensors. The new variant was designated the "F-14D", with four
conversions from F-14As as development prototypes, the first flying on 24
November 1987.
The AN/APG-71 is a considerable improvement on the powerful but elderly
AN/AWG-9 radar. It was derived from the AN/APG-70 built for the McDonnell
Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, with about 60% commonality between the two
radars, and provides improved search and tracking at slightly longer ranges
than the AN/AWG-9, as well as improved resistance to countermeasures. The
IRST and TCS sensors are fitted in a distinctive dual chin pod that provides
a recognition item for the F-14D relative to the F-14A, at least when viewed
from head-on where the pod's "double-barreled" appearance is obvious.
GRUMMAN F-14D TOMCAT:
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
wingspan (spread) 19.55 meters 64 feet 2 inches
wingspan (closed) 11.65 meters 38 feet 2 inches
length 19.10 meters 62 feet 8 inches
height 4.88 meters 16 feet
empty weight 18,950 kilograms 41,780 pounds
loaded weight 33,725 kilograms 74,350 pounds
max speed at altitude 2,000 KPH 1,240 MPH / 1,080 KT
service ceiling 16,150 meters 53,000 feet
combat patrol radius 1,995 kilometers 1,240 MI / 1,075 NMI
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
A total of 37 F-14Ds were built, the first entering operational service in
November 1990, along with 18 "F-14D(R)" upgrades from F-14As. The original
intent had been to upgrade the entire Tomcat fleet to F-14D standards, but
with the end of the Cold War the full upgrade program was judged too
expensive. The F-14Ds were the last Tomcats built, with the final production
tally as follows:
___________________________________
variant new update sum
___________________________________
F-14A 557 - 557
F-14A (Iran) 80 - 80
F-14B 38 32 70
F-14D 37 - 37
F-14D(R) - 18 18
___________________________________
totals 712 50 762
___________________________________
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* There were several proposals for new Tomcat variants. In the early 1970s,
the US Air Force was after an "Improved Manned Interceptor (IMI)" for
continental defense, and Grumman modified one of the Tomcat mockups to
demonstrate a solution based on the Tomcat. This concept featured conformal
fuel tanks to provide considerably extended range, but the Air Force didn't
bite. Grumman also proposed several cost-reduced Tomcat variants to the
Navy, with designations such as "F-14T", "F-14X", and "F-14 Optimod", that
went nowhere as well, and a dedicated reconnaissance variant, the "RF-14",
was dropped in favor of the Tomcat-TARPS solution.
Much later, the Navy had hopes to develop a new-technology "stealthy" strike
aircraft, the "A-12 Avenger", to replace the Grumman A-6 Intruder, but the
A-12 program went out of control and was axed in 1991. With the A-6 facing
obsolescence and the A-12 program dead, the Navy was faced with having no
heavy precision strike aircraft in its inventory.
Grumman proposed production of strike-optimized F-14s. This was not as big a
stretch as it might have seemed, since Grumman had basically designed the
Tomcat as a multirole machine. Even before the F-14 performed its first
flight Grumman had published images of the machine carrying a heavy bombload,
and apparently the Tomcat's AN/AWG-15 fire-control computer included support
for the strike mission. The company came forward with the notion again
several times in the 1970s and 1980s, but the Navy didn't bite on it.
With the cancellation of the A-12, Grumman came back to the idea once again,
proposing a "QuickStrike" derivative of the F-14D that could be developed in
a short time. The QuickStrike F-14D was to feature an improved AN/APG-71
radar, substantially improved cockpit, carriage of targeting and navigation
pods, and a revised stores carriage system to allow the machine to tote a
heavy warload under its fuselage and wings.
This concept led to the "Super Tomcat 21" featured all the refinements of the
QuickStrike F-14D, plus advanced General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofans with
thrust-vectoring nozzles; more fuel capacity; improved flight control
surfaces to permit takeoffs at higher weights; and a new single-piece
wraparound windshield. The new GE engines would permit the ability to cruise
at supersonic speed without using afterburner.
Grumman tweaked the design further to add more fuel and further improved
flight control surfaces, resulting in the "Attack Super Tomcat 21". However,
by the mid-1990s all these proposals were dead, which at least prevented
Grumman from coming up with even more long-winded names for further F-14
attack variants.
The problem with the schemes for the improved Tomcats was that the money
simply wasn't there. The end of the Cold War meant a certain retrenchment in
defense spending, at least for a time, and the Navy had committed to a
scaled-up version of the F/A-18 Hornet, the McDonnell Douglas "F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet" as their multirole combat aircraft for the future. There
wasn't money to buy another major combat aircraft type.
In terms of payload-range in the strike role the "Super Bug" wasn't quite in
the same league as the A-6 or the advanced Tomcat strike variants, but the
Navy determined that the F/A-18E/F could well meet their operational
requirements. It was the future and there was no prospect of building more
Tomcats. However, as discussed in the next section the notion of an attack
Tomcat didn't go away.
* Although the Navy couldn't get new Tomcats, it could provide modest
upgrades for those it had in service to keep them flying and capable.
In 1988, the Navy initiated the "Multi-Mission Capability Avionics Program
(MMCAP)", first known as the "F-14++" program, to modernize their F-14A/Bs.
This featured installation of the improved AN/ALR-67 RWR; fit of Swedish BOL
chaff-flare dispensers on the rear end of the Sidewinder launch rails; an
improved mission computer; two MIL-STD 1553B digital databuses; and a new
"Programmable Tactical Information Display System (PTIDS)" for the RIO in the
back seat. The first MMCAP F-14A was redelivered in 1994.
The HUD fitted to the MMCAP F-14B didn't work out well, leading to a
replacement program in the late 1990s. It is unclear if a different HUD was
fitted to F-14As during MMCAP or if the Navy simply decided not to bother to
upgrade the less capable F-14A. There was also an effort to refit F-14As
with NACES ejection seats, but this program was cancelled and it is unclear
if any F-14As were fitted with the new ejection seats. Yet another minor
upgrade replaced the old AN/ALE-39 chaff-flare dispenser on the F-14B and
F-14D with the modern AN/ALE-47 dispenser, resulting in a much more effective
system integrated with the BOL chaff dispensers.
One of the most interesting upgrades was the GEC-Marconi "Digital Flight
Control System (DFCS)", with implementation begun in 1996 and Northrop
Grumman participating in systems integration. The idea behind DFCS was to
replace the Tomcat's old analog flight-control system with a modern digital
FCS featuring advanced software. DFCS was based on technology developed for
the Eurofighter Typhoon and was a definite plus for the Tomcat. DFCS not
only did much to tame the Tomcat's infamous spin departure characteristics,
reducing the likelihood of a departure and improving recovery when one
occurred, but also substantially improved approach handling and was far
easier to maintain.
* Along with modest refinements to the Tomcat itself, the TARPS
reconnaissance pod was improved. The original TARPS pod recorded all of its
imagery on photographic film, which meant that reconnaissance data wasn't
available until the Tomcat had landed and the film was developed. Modern
reconnaissance platforms carry "electro-optic (EO)" sensors to take digital
images that not only do not require development, but can be relayed over a
datalink to provide real-time imagery to reconnaissance users.
The Navy decided to modernize TARPS by replacing the KS-87B film camera in
the forward pod station with a Pulnix digital camera. The Pulnix camera was
arranged to shoot only out the bottom-facing window and could take 200
frames. The updated "TARPS Digital (TARPS-DI)" pod was introduced in 1996.
The pod was further updated beginning in 1998 to the "TARPS-CD"
configuration, featuring an improved digital camera system. In 1999, some
Tomcats were fitted with the "Fast Tactical Imagery (FTI)" datalink to allow
transmission of EO imagery in real time. The datalink can also transmit TCS
imagery.
BACK_TO_TOP
* Despite the fact that by the advanced strike versions of the Tomcat hadn't
panned out, the idea of a strike Tomcat remained alive, with the concept that
the existing fleet of F-14s could be assigned the job. The Navy had been
experimenting with dropping bombs from Tomcats as far back as 1987, though
weapons clearance went at a very slow pace. It wasn't until 1992 that the
Tomcat was even cleared to carry "iron bombs" operationally.
Although the advanced strike Tomcat concepts had featured wing pylons to
carry weapons, the standard Tomcat was restricted to carriage of four bombs
on munitions adapters mounted on the Phoenix stores stations. It is possible
to fit "triple ejector racks (TERs)" that can carry three stores each, but
this is apparently only done to carry practice bombs.
Even after clearing the Tomcat for bomb carriage, the Navy still seemed a
half-hearted about the idea. Tomcats did perform a few strikes in Bosnia in
1995, but they had no means to designate targets for laser-guided bombs
(LGBs) themselves and Hornets had to provide "buddy designation" for them.
However, by this time the attack Tomcat concept was building up momentum,
driven by the time gap between the phaseout of the A-6 Intruder and the
arrival of the Super Hornet. By 1994 Grumman and the Navy were proposing
ambitious plans for Tomcat upgrades to plug that gap, but Congress balked.
The upgrades were priced in the billions, a bit much for an interim solution,
and they would take too long to implement to meet the looming gap.
The solution finally devised was a limited cheap and quick upgrade, with fit
of the Lockheed Martin "Low Altitude Navigation & Targeting Infra-Red for
Night (LANTIRN)" targeting pod system to the Tomcat, which would give the
F-14 a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera for night operations and a
laser target designator to direct LGBs. The upgraded Tomcats would also go
through a "service life extension program (SLEP)" to keep their airframes
airworthy and would be fitted with a set of modest improvements, detailed
under the MMCAP program description in the previous section.
Although LANTIRN is traditionally a two-pod system, with 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. This was
apparently done for cost reasons, though the Tomcat's LANTIRN targeting pod
did feature some improvements over its baseline configuration, most
significantly a Global Positioning System / Inertial Navigation System
(GPS/INS) capability that would allow a Tomcat to find its own location at
any time. The pod is carried on the right wing glove pylon.
Fit of the AN/AAQ-14 pod didn't require any updates to the F-14's own system
software, which would have substantially increased the time and expense of
the upgrade. It did require that the Tomcat have the MIL-STD 1553B bus,
fitted standard to the F-14D and available on MMCAP F-14A/Bs. The RIO
receives pod imagery on his display and guides LGBs using a new hand
controller. Initially the hand controller replaced the RIO's TARPS control
panel, meaning a Tomcat configured for LANTIRN couldn't carry TARPS and the
reverse, but eventually a workaround was developed that allowed a Tomcat to
carry LANTIRN or TARPS as needed.
* Initial flight of a LANTIRN-equipped Tomcat was on 21 March 1995 and the
test program went smoothly. Official rollout of the first "F-14 Precision
Strike Fighter" was on 14 June 1996. The "Bombcat" had finally come of age
and was on its first operational cruise by the end of the month, on the
carrier USS ENTERPRISE. Lockheed Martin engineers were on board the carrier
to provide fixes and make changes as required. The Bombcats flew sorties
over Bosnia but did not see any combat.
Interestingly, Bombcat crews reported that the FLIR on board the LANTIRN pod
was more effective in checking out distant targets than the old TCS system.
The FLIR has 4x, 10x, and 20x magnification capabilities and can be steered
150 degrees off the aircraft centerline. Later on, when the FTI datalink was
fitted to the F-14, LANTIRN FLIR imagery could be relayed along and TARPS and
TCS data to provide night reconnaissance imagery in real time.
The LANTIRN Bombcat made its combat debut in OPERATION DESERT FOX, air
strikes conducted against Iraq in December 1998 after Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein evicted UN arms inspectors. The Bombcats saw more combat in the NATO
air campaign against Serbia over Kosovo in the spring of 1999, flying
hundreds of sorties, and then in more strikes on Iraqi air-defense targets.
Tomcats also flew in the air-defense role during the Iraq strikes, and on 6
January 1999, one fired two Phoenix missiles at two Iraqi MiG-25s at extreme
range. Both missiles missed. This was the first time the US Navy had ever
fired the Phoenix in anger, though it appears that the Iranians shot off a
few at the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq War. Two more were fired at Iraqi
fighters in September 1999, missing again.
These incidents leave the effectiveness of the Phoenix an open question.
Apparently the Iraqi fighters were at extreme range and just trying to be an
nuisance, and the missiles were mainly fired to suggest that the Iraqis get
lost. However, the blank combat record of the Phoenix is consistent with the
blank record of the Hughes Falcon series of AAMs in general. The AIM-120
AMRAAM, a Sparrow derivative with a fully-active seeker, is a more modern and
by the evidence a much more effective weapon than the Phoenix, though
AMRAAM's range does not match that of the Phoenix. New ramjet-powered
versions of AMRAAM are being considered that may outrange the Phoenix. Plans
were made to modify the Tomcat for AMRAAM carriage but fell through.
* In any case, by this time the Bombcat was receiving a new strike capability
in the form of the GPS-aided GBU-31/32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)
guided glide bomb. Details of the implementation of JDAM on the Tomcat are a
bit unclear and it is not apparent if the bombs can be loaded with GPS target
coordinates in flight, or if the coordinates have to be preloaded before the
the mission. Tomcat LANTIRN pods were also improved to permit high-altitude
operation up to 12,200 meters (40,000 feet), with the first updated "LANTIRN
40K" pod going into service in 2001.
Bombcats got a chance to use their new weaponry during OPERATION ENDURING
FREEDOM, the American intervention in Afghanistan in the winter of 2001:2002,
following attacks by Islamic terrorists on the United States. While details
of the Afghan campaign remain unclear, it appears that Bombcats performed
close-support strikes using LGBs and JDAMs, and also marked targets with
LANTIRN for F/A-18 Hornets. It is plausible that F-14s also participated in
the American invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003, but details are not
known at this time.
* The last Tomcats are expected to be out of service in 2008. The Navy has
considered qualifying a off-the-shelf "synthetic aperture radar (SAR)" pod
for carriage by the Tomcat to give the aircraft a day-night all-weather
strike and reconnaissance capability. A SAR pod developed by Elta of Israel
and sold by Lockheed Martin in the US has been evaluated on the F-14D, but
the status of operationally deploying such a pod remains unclear.
If the Navy does retain their Tomcats after 2008, another SLEP and upgrades
will be required to keep them in fighting trim. It seems unlikely that this
will happen, as the Tomcat fleet is definitely showing its age and is an
increasing maintenance headache. The phase-out of the Tomcat will be the end
of an era, as it will be the last Grumman fighter in US Navy service.
BACK_TO_TOP
* One interesting little comment about that Tomcat that didn't fit neatly
into the main text is that the Navy has also used F-14As as "adversary"
aircraft, most or all flown by the Naval Strike & Air Warfare Center (NSAWC)
at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada. They are used as substitutes for
threat aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and MiG-31 Foxhound. Some
of them were painted in blue-splinter Su-27-style camouflage, but apparently
all have now adopted an Iranian-style desert camouflage pattern to match the
Nevada environment.
* Relative to its numbers and length of service, the Tomcat's combat history
has been relatively modest, but it has had an interesting movie career, which
has a certain justice considering its role in Reagan-era political theater.
The best-known movie involving the Tomcat is the Tom Cruise vehicle TOP GUN,
but though popular it is arguably less entertaining to an aircraft enthusiast
than THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, which puts the Tomcat almost in a starring role
with Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in support.
The plot is negligible, a comic-book scenario in which a modern US Navy
aircraft carrier is transported back in time to just before the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor, and amounts to little more than an excuse to watch
Tomcats in action. It's all good silly fun, Kirk Douglas was obviously
enjoying himself in that spirit, and helped pass it on to the audience.
* Sources include:
- THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD MILITARY AIRCRAFT, edited by David Donald &
Jon Lake, Barnes & Noble, 2000.
- "F-14 Tomcat: Fleet Defender" by Robert F. Dorr, WORLD AIR POWER JOURNAL,
Volume 7 / Fall-Winter 1991, 42:99.
- "Grumman F-14 Variant Briefing" by Jon Lake, WORLD AIR POWER JOURNAL,
Volume 19 / Winter 1994, 114:141.
- "Navy Sets Sights On All-Weather Bombing" by Robert Wall, AVIATION
WEEK, 20 November 2000, 59.
- "Northrop Grumman F-14 Tomcat" by Jon Lake, INTERNATIONAL AIR POWER
REVIEW, Volume 3 / Winter 2001:2002, 42:75.
* Revision history:
v1.0.0 / 01 may 03 / gvg
v1.0.1 / 01 jun 03 / gvg / Minor corrections.
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