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Description : The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. During its active service in the United States Navy (1972-2006) the F-14 Tomcat was the Navy's primary air superiority fighter and tactical reconnaissance platform. It later performed precision bombing in close air support roles.It was developed after the collapse of the F-111B project, and was the first of the American teen-series fighters which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat in Vietnam against Migs.
It entered service in 1972 with the Navy, replacing the F-4 Phantom II. It was later exported to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1976. It was retired from the U.S. Navy fleet on 22 September 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.As of 2006, only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force still flies the aircraft.The F-14 Tomcat program was initiated when it became obvious that the issues with the F-111B, the Navy variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), primarily over weight and maneuverability would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defense fighter (FADF) with the primary role of intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier group, but the navy also wanted the aircraft to possess inherent air superioriy characteristics. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft, fearing the compromises would cripple the aircraft, but were forced to participate in the program at direction of then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who wanted "joint" solutions to the service aircraft needs to reduce developmental costs. The prior example of the F-4 Phantom which was a Navy program later adopted by the USAF (under similar direction) was the order of the day. Vice Admiral Connolly, DCNO for Air Warfare took the developmental F-111A for a flight and discovered it was unable to go supersonic and had poor landing characteristics. He later testified to Congress about his concerns against the official Department of the Navy position and in May 1968, Congress killed funding for the F-111B allowing the Navy to pursue an answer tailored to their requirements. NAVAIR shortly issued an RFP for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX), a tandem two-seat fighter with maximum speed of Mach 2.2 and a secondary close air support role. Of the five companies that submitted bids (four of which incorporated variable-geometry wings as on the F-111), McDonnell Douglas and Grumman were selected as finalists in December 1968, and Grumman won the contract in January 1969. Grumman had been a partner on the F-111B, and had started work on an alternative when they saw the project heading south, and so had an edge on its competitors. Their early design mockups and cost projections were floated among Navy brass as an alternative to the F-111B.The F-14 was designed to improve on the Phantom's air combat performance in several respects. The F-14's canopy offers the crew excellent visibility throughout the 360 degrees in a circle. The plane features variable geometry wings that sweep automatically during flight. For high-speed intercept, they are swept back; they swing forward to allow the F-14 to turn sharply and dogfight. The F-14's fuselage and wings allow it to climb faster than the F-4, while the twin-tail arrangement offers better stability. During the Vietnam conflict, the F-4's lack of a gun was criticized by fighter pilots, and the belated use of a 20 mm gun pod attached to a hardpoint, while useful, was not an optimal solution. As a result, Grumman equipped the F-14 with an internal 20 mm Vulcan Gatling-type gun mounted on the left side, and can carry Phoenix, Sparrow, and Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles.
The Navy wanted the F-14 to have a thrust-to-weight ratio of unity or greater, though this was not achieved until after the F-14 entered service because of delays in engine development. A higher thrust to weight ratio allows a fighter pilot to use the vertical as well as horizontal dimension when dogfighting. The value of this was clearly demonstrated via the Navy's Top Gun program, begun in March of 1969. F-4 Phantom crews frequently fought North Vietnamese MiG-17s. The MiG was lighter and could turn more sharply in a dogfight than the Phantom. However, the Phantom's crew could use its superior thrust to exploit the vertical dimension, and, as one example, Top Gun instructors taught F-4 crews to perform the "egg maneuver," wherein a Phantom engaging a MiG would climb sharply, completing a loop inverted and then dive on the hapless enemy. The result was that, after 1970, US Navy fighter crews enjoyed a greater than 12:1 kill ratio over North Vietnamese pilots.
It entered service in 1972 with the Navy, replacing the F-4 Phantom II. It was later exported to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1976. It was retired from the U.S. Navy fleet on 22 September 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.As of 2006, only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force still flies the aircraft.The F-14 Tomcat program was initiated when it became obvious that the issues with the F-111B, the Navy variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), primarily over weight and maneuverability would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defense fighter (FADF) with the primary role of intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier group, but the navy also wanted the aircraft to possess inherent air superioriy characteristics. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft, fearing the compromises would cripple the aircraft, but were forced to participate in the program at direction of then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who wanted "joint" solutions to the service aircraft needs to reduce developmental costs. The prior example of the F-4 Phantom which was a Navy program later adopted by the USAF (under similar direction) was the order of the day. Vice Admiral Connolly, DCNO for Air Warfare took the developmental F-111A for a flight and discovered it was unable to go supersonic and had poor landing characteristics. He later testified to Congress about his concerns against the official Department of the Navy position and in May 1968, Congress killed funding for the F-111B allowing the Navy to pursue an answer tailored to their requirements. NAVAIR shortly issued an RFP for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX), a tandem two-seat fighter with maximum speed of Mach 2.2 and a secondary close air support role. Of the five companies that submitted bids (four of which incorporated variable-geometry wings as on the F-111), McDonnell Douglas and Grumman were selected as finalists in December 1968, and Grumman won the contract in January 1969. Grumman had been a partner on the F-111B, and had started work on an alternative when they saw the project heading south, and so had an edge on its competitors. Their early design mockups and cost projections were floated among Navy brass as an alternative to the F-111B.The F-14 was designed to improve on the Phantom's air combat performance in several respects. The F-14's canopy offers the crew excellent visibility throughout the 360 degrees in a circle. The plane features variable geometry wings that sweep automatically during flight. For high-speed intercept, they are swept back; they swing forward to allow the F-14 to turn sharply and dogfight. The F-14's fuselage and wings allow it to climb faster than the F-4, while the twin-tail arrangement offers better stability. During the Vietnam conflict, the F-4's lack of a gun was criticized by fighter pilots, and the belated use of a 20 mm gun pod attached to a hardpoint, while useful, was not an optimal solution. As a result, Grumman equipped the F-14 with an internal 20 mm Vulcan Gatling-type gun mounted on the left side, and can carry Phoenix, Sparrow, and Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles.
The Navy wanted the F-14 to have a thrust-to-weight ratio of unity or greater, though this was not achieved until after the F-14 entered service because of delays in engine development. A higher thrust to weight ratio allows a fighter pilot to use the vertical as well as horizontal dimension when dogfighting. The value of this was clearly demonstrated via the Navy's Top Gun program, begun in March of 1969. F-4 Phantom crews frequently fought North Vietnamese MiG-17s. The MiG was lighter and could turn more sharply in a dogfight than the Phantom. However, the Phantom's crew could use its superior thrust to exploit the vertical dimension, and, as one example, Top Gun instructors taught F-4 crews to perform the "egg maneuver," wherein a Phantom engaging a MiG would climb sharply, completing a loop inverted and then dive on the hapless enemy. The result was that, after 1970, US Navy fighter crews enjoyed a greater than 12:1 kill ratio over North Vietnamese pilots.
