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F-14A TomcatTV is a trademark of Northrop
Grumman
Systems Corporation
and is used
under license to Tamiya, Incorporated.
GRUMMAN
TOMCAT
Although 10yearsseparatedfrom its 2006 retirementat the time
of writing, the U.S. Navy's Grumman F-14 Tomcat nonetheless
still inspires great interest, having evolved from its role as a
carrier-basedfighter and eventuallybeing usedasa bomber.
Development of the F-14
1967 saw the initiation of the VFX (Navy Fighter Experimental)
program for a new carrier-basedfighter to replaceexisting aircraft
such as the F-4 Phantom II. Earlier concepts had proven
unsuccessful:the Douglas F6D Missileer, fitted with a powerful
radar and six long range missiles, but discarded for lack of
versatility; and the F-1 11B, which inherited Missileer features but
was too heavy because of design elements shared with the USAF's
F-l I IA. Ultimately, the new carrier-based fighter would be
decided
as the F-14 Tomcat.
Perhaps theF-14's mostnotablefeaturewasits successful v ariable
sweep wing. Variable sweepallowed greater aspect ratio (wing
span vs. chord) for lower speeds on landing (vital for a
carrier-based aircraft), while still enabling faster in-flight airspeeds
by sweepingthe wings back. Sweptback wings also savedcarrier
deck space when the aircraft was parked. Grumman's F-14 design
featureda high shoulder-mountedwing, poddedenginesand dual
tail fins for stability during takeoff and landing evenwith the low
F-14 profile.
December 1970 marked the maiden F-14 flight, powered by Pratt
& Whitney TF30 turbofan engines.Reusedfrom the F-111B, the
TF30 lackedpower andwasproneto compressor stalls, however a
mooted early F-14B variant with new engines was shelved and
existing F- 14Aswere updatedto alleviate the problem.
A Successful Design
The F-14's AWG-9
radar and AIM-54
combination were carried over from the Missileer concept, capable
of simultaneously tracking twenty-four targets and firing upon six.
The complexproceduresinvolved requiredthepresence ofa Radar
Intercept Officer (RIO) in addition to the pilot, hence the
two-seaterlayout. Early F-14As hadautomatic glove vanesin the
front of the wing glove for improved supersonic stability, but these
were removed starting with later F- 14As.
Later variants of the Tomcat were given improved engines in the
shape of the General Electric Fl 10: there were 70 F-14Bs (of
which 32 were conversions of F-14A aircraft); and 55 F-14Ds (18
were converted F-14As), which in addition to the Fl 10 engine
were also fitted with the new APG-71 radar, an air-to-air variant of
the APG-7() radar used on the USAF F-15E Strike Eagle. In fact,
some F-14s were fitted with the AAQ-25 LANTIRN targeting pod
which allowed laser targeting of projectiles in air-to-ground strikes
and leading to the nicknameof "Bombcat" for the Tomcat which
could bomb. They numbered around two hundred in total.
In all, 632 F-14 aircraft were manufactured for the U.S. Navy: 557
F-14As, 38 F-14Bs and 37 F-14Ds. While the last U.s. Navy
Obwohl seit der Ausserdienststellung2006 fast 10Jahrevergan-
genSind,genießtdie GrummanF-14 Tomcat der Amerikanischen
Navy, die sich vom bordgestütztenJäger bis zum Jagdbomber
wandelte, n ochheutesehrgroßes Interesse in derÖffentlichkeit.
Die Entwicklung
der F-14
Das VFX ( Navy Fighter Experimental ) Programmstartete 1967
und suchte einen Nachfolger mr bisherige bordgestützte Jäger wie
die F-4 Phantom II. Frühere Konzepte hatten sich durchweg als
erfolglos erwiesen : die Douglas F6D Missileer, die ein starkes
Radar und sechs Langestreckenraketen trug war zu wenig
vielseitig, die F-1 11B welche Teile der Missileer-Ausstattung
hatte, war aufgrund einiger Baugruppen,die sie mit der F-I I IA
F-14A
Tomcats ended their service in 2006, around a third of the eighty
F-14A
Revolution still remain in servicetoday with the Islamic Republic
of Iran Air Force(IRIAF), althoughstrainedU.S.-Iran relationsled
to a block on service parts.
Armament
To avoid overburdening the moving sections of the wings, F-14s
had stations under the wing gloves. Using them and the four
additional stations on the belly between the podded engines, the
F-14s could be fitted with up to six AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-7
Sparrowmissiles,with anAIM-9 Sidewinderon theoutsideof the
wing glove pylon, for a total capacity of eight air-to-air missiles.
AIM-54 Phoenixes were central to the F-14's principal fleet
defenseinterceptor mission. These mach 5 radar-guidedhoming
missiles havea 150kmrange,although in practice there was little
opportunity for their use. Bombcat variants were armed with
standard,Paveway laser-guided,and JDAM GPS-guided bombs,
while the "Peeping Tom" reconnaissanceF-14 received the
Tactical Airborne ReconnaissancePod System (TARPS).
The F-14 in Action
F-14swere assigned to overthirty U.S.Navy units, with two F-14
Fighter Squadronspresentin a Carrier Air Wing. The first F-14
Fighter Squadrons wereVF- I andthe "Bounty Hunters"VF-2. The
Bounty Hunterswere presentin Japanin 1976for a demonstration
at Iruma Air
delighting thosein attendance. P erhaps oneof the moststoriedU.S.
Fighter Squadron nicknames is the Jolly Rogers; its VF-84
incarnationoperatedthe F-14from the 1970suntil its disbandment
in 1995, when the nickname was passed along to the VF-103
Fighter Squadron and its F-14Bs.
long range missile
The F-14's debut was in 1975, in Operation Frequent Wind,
providing fighter cover for an evacuationfrom Vietnam. Later,
F-14s accountedfor two Libyan aircraft in eachof the first (1981)
OAWG-9 weapon control radar
der amerikanischen Luftwaffe gemein hatte, zu schwer. Zum
Ende wurde mr die F-14 Tomcat als neuen Navy Jäger entschie-
den.
Das vielleicht aumilligste Detail waren die erfolgreichen
Schwenkflügel. VeränderbarePfeilung hateinen guten Effekt fiir
die Vielseitigkeit ( Spannweite gegen Auftrieb ) und erlaubt
niedrige Landegeschwindigkeiten( ein unerlässlichesDetail mr
Trägerflugzeuge ) und mit zurückgeschwenkten Tragflächen
hohe Endgeschwindigkeiten. Die zurückgeschwenkten Flügel
spartenauch Platz bei der Aufstellung an Deck. Das Design der
Grumman F-14 zeigte einen Schulterdecker mit Triebwerksgon-
deln und einem Doppelleitwerk für bessereStabilität beim Start
"Courtesyof the NationalNaval Aviation Museum"
"Courtesyof the YanksAir Museum"
"Persian
cat" F-14As
sold to Iran before
Show, their distinctive
TAMIYA
the 1979 Islamic
and colorful
markings
and second (1989) Sidra
Gulf
incidents.
The F-14
also took part in the first
Gulf
War
of
1991,
recording
a
single
air-to-air
kill.
While
the
F-14
may
not
have
accounted
for
vast
numbers
of
enemy
aircraft,
this
bears
testament
to its success
in
the
fleet
defense
interceptor role, and it
was
also
a
versatile
aircraft that captured the
public imagination.
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