Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a Intercepteur embarked with variable Géométrie. Intended to protect the fleet from air raids, it is the first hunter conceived in the United States which integrated the lessons of the Guerre of Vietnam. It became universally celebrates thanks to the film Top Gun.

Design

F-14 was conceived to replace the naval version of the F-111, the F-111B, whose development was prematurely given up, at the beginning of 1968, as soon as it appeared that the apparatus, too large and too heavy, would be inapt for the operations starting from an aircraft carrier. It is a two-seater twin-jet aircraft with variable Géométrie (i.e that it can “fold up” its wings around pivots located in the apexes of connection at the fuselage and thus adapt its aerodynamics to the conditions transonic or supersonic speeds (folded up aerofoil) or low speeds in approach or whirling combat (unfolded aerofoil)). It is operated by a tandem: a pilot in front of and his officer of armament to the back, provision inspired of the F-4 Phantom II, which gets a great operational flexibility.

History

June 18th, 1968, the US Navy published the schedule of conditions of a new embarked hunter which can reach Mach 2 and likely to be armed with missiles of all the ranges available, of AIM-9 Sidewinder with AIM-54 Phoenix. The apparatus will take again several equipment developed for the F-111B, in particular the system of armament: multi-target radar Hughes AN/AWG-9, missiles AIM-54 Phoenix and engines TF-30-P. Grumman was declared victorious on January 14th, 1969. It should be noted that it is not the first variable geometry aircraft of Grumman. Grumman had indeed conceived the F-10-F with variable arrow previously and was associated with the F-111 program.

Its 1st flight took place the December 21st 1970 and it entered in service in 1972 US Navy. With its service entrance, its performances were much higher than those of its Soviet contemporaries. It was in fact the first plane of a new generation. This one succeeded the famous Century fighters and their embarked equivalents of the period 1955-1970.

The apparatus then was modernized and remotorisé in models F-14B/D with a Turboréacteur of the following generation, the General Electric F110 (the engine of F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon) to replace the TF-30-P, not very reliable and exceeded.

79 apparatuses F-14A (slightly attached on the level radar Hugues AWG-9) were delivered to the Iran before the Islamic revolution of 1979.

The last of the 632 specimens of US Navy was delivered in 1992, and the plane was officially withdrawn from the service in 2006. Tomcat is replaced by F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, more modern and requiring much less maintenance.

Engagements

Tomcat is in the beginning a plane intended for US Navy. It is able to carry 6 missiles AIM-54C Phoenix, only used by F-14 for the missions of interception to long distance (“  Beyond Horizon  ”). With the hands of a good controls, it is a frightening adversary. Four victories were gained by US Navy against hunters Libya NS in 2 fixings in the years 1980 (2 Known-22 in 1981 and 2 MIG-23 at the time of the incidental of the Gulf of Syrte in 1989).

The Iran ordered 80 specimens (79 were delivered before the embargo and the last specimen entered in service US Navy). In spite of the embargo, the Iranian Air force succeeded in maintaining in-flight status about thirty F-14.

Iran amongst other things used it as minis AWACS at the time of the Guerre Iran-Iraq and gained several victories vis-a-vis the Iraqi apparatuses, but of the Mirage F1 of this country have succeeds in cutting down some in close combat.

Alternatives

A total of 712 F-14 were built between 1969 and 1991 in the Grumman factory of Bethpage, New York.
  • YF-14A : Prototypes and planes of préproduction. 12 built.
  • F-14A : Two-seater interceptor all-time for the American navy. Modifications were introduced at the end of the lifetime to add the shooting of ammunition of precision. 545 F-14A planes were delivered to US Navy and 79 in Iran. The last 102 F-14A were delivered with a version improved of engine TF30-P-414A. Moreover, 80e F-14A built for Iran was delivered to US Navy. At the end of the years 1990,67 F-14B were modified to prolong the lifespan of their structure and to improve the offensive and defensive avionics. This new version accepted the name of F-14B Upgrade .
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