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F-14 Tomcat

An F-14A Tomcat from the USS Nimitz during Operation Southern Watch

TypeInterceptor/multi-role Fighter aircraft
ManufacturerGrumman
Northrop Grumman
Designed byBob Kress, engineering manager[1]
Maiden flight21 December 1970
IntroductionSeptember 1974
Retired22 September 2006, US Navy
StatusActive service with Iran
Retired from US service
Primary usersUnited States Navy
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Number built712
Unit costUS$38 million in 1998

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. Ship's history The USS Nimitz was first deployed to the Mediterranean in 1976 in company with the nuclear powered Cruisers USS ''South Carolina'' Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF ( is the aviation branch of the Iranian armed forces. For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight The F-14 was the United States Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical reconnaissance platform from 1974 to 2006. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information It later performed precision strike missions once it was integrated with the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night LANTIRN system. Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN is a system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft -- the F-15E Strike Eagle and [2] The F-14 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. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Teen Series is a popular name for a group of US combat aircraft Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia JSC "RSK "MiG" or Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG in full (formerly Mikoyan or Mikoyan-i-Gurevich Design Bureau, Микоян

It entered service in 1972 with the U. S. Navy, replacing the F-4 Phantom II. It was later exported to the former Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1976, during a time when the US still had good relations with Iran. The history of the Iranian Air Force can be divided into two phases - before the Islamic Revolution, and after it It was retired from the active U. S. Navy fleet on 22 September 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [3] As of 2007, it remains in service only with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF ( is the aviation branch of the Iranian armed forces.

Contents

Development

Main article: History of the F-14 Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat program was initiated when it became obvious that the weight and maneuverability issues plaguing the U. The history of the F-14 Tomcat is long and complicated starting with the development of very long range Air-to-air missiles in the late- 1950s, to the evolution S. Navy variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) (F-111B) would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 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. The Navy also wanted the aircraft to possess inherent air superiority 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 United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Robert Strange McNamara (born June 9 1916 in Oakland, California) is an American business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense The prior example of the F-4 Phantom which was a Navy and Marine Corps program later adopted by the Air Force (under similar direction) was the order of the day. Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly, DCNO for Air Warfare took the developmental F-111A variant for a flight and discovered it had difficulty going 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.

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) shortly issued an RFP for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX), a tandem two-seat fighter with maximum speed of Mach 2. The Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR is the part of the United States Navy which provides materiel support for naval aircraft and airborne weapon systems 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. A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U 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 mock-ups and cost projections were floated among Navy brass as an alternative to the F-111B. [4]

The winning Grumman design reused the TF30 engines from the F-111B, though the Navy planned on replacing them with the F401-PW-400 engines then under development by Pratt and Whitney for the Navy (in parallel with the related F100 for the USAF). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [5] Though lighter than the F-111B, it was still the largest and heaviest U. S. fighter to ever fly from an aircraft carrier, its size a consequence of the requirement to carry the large AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, also from the F-111B and an internal fuel load of 16,000 lbs (7,300 kg). The AN/AWG-9 and AN/APG-71 radars are all-weather multi-mode radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) for the F-14 Tomcat fighter/interceptor The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided long-range air-to-air Missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles — formerly on the U The F-14 would also share a similar inlet duct, wing, and landing gear geometry with Grumman's A-6 Intruder. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [6]

Upon being granted the contract for the F-14, Grumman greatly expanded its Calverton, Long Island, New York facility to test and evaluate the new swing-wing interceptor. Calverton is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Much of the testing was in the air of the Long Island Sound as well as the first few in-flight mishaps, including the first of many compressor stalls and ejections. In order to save time and forestall interference from Secretary McNamara, the Navy skipped the prototype phase and jumped directly to full-scale development; the Air Force took a similar approach with its F-15. [7]

The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970, just 22 months after Grumman was awarded the contract, and reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 1973. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Marine Corps was initially interested in the F-14 as an F-4 replacement and went so far as to send pilots and radar intercept officers to Fighter Squadron One Twenty-Four (VF-124), the Pacific Fleet Replacement Squadron for the F-14, to train as instructors. Marines (from the English adjective marine, meaning of the sea, from Latin language mare, meaning sea via French adjective Fighter squadron VF-124 Gunfighters was a fleet replacement squadron of the United States Navy since 1958 But the Marine Corps was never fully sold on the aircraft and pulled out when the stores management system for ground attack munitions was left undeveloped, leaving the aircraft incapable of dropping air-to-ground munitions (these were later developed in the 1990s). [7]

Improvements and changes

Firing trials involved the launch against simulated targets of every type, from cruise missiles to high flying bombers. The first AIM-54 Phoenix launch by a Tomcat occurred on 28 April 1972. The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided long-range air-to-air Missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles — formerly on the U Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [8] In November of that year, a single launch was achieved against an incoming target at over 200 km, this being outside the normal range for the Tomcat weapon system of 166 km. Another unusual test was made in 22 November 1973, with six missiles fired in 38 seconds, at Mach 0. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. 78 and 24,800 feet (7600 m), with four scoring direct hits. This missile entered service at the beginning of 1975, just as the Vietnam War was coming to an end. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

With time, the early versions of all the missiles were replaced by more advanced versions, especially with the move to full solid-state electronics that allowed better reliability, better ECCM and more space for the rocket engine. So the early arrangement of the AIM-54A Phoenix active-radar air-to-air missile, the AIM-7E-2 Sparrow Semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile, and the AIM-9J Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missile was replaced in the 1980s with the B (1983) and C (1986) version of the Phoenix, the F (1977), M (1982), P (1987 or later) for Sparrows, and with the Sidewinder, L (1979) and M (1982). Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of Missile guidance system perhaps the most common type for longer range air-to-air and Surface-to-air Within these versions there are several improved batches (for example, Phoenix AIM-54C++). [8]

The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed in the late 1970s for the Tomcat. The article about about the camera pod For the bus service see TARTA. The TARPS reconnaissance pod was carried on the right rear fuselage tunnel station and required additional connections. Approximately 65 F-14As and all F-14Ds were modified to carry the pod. [9] The system was primarily controlled by the RIO in the back seat who had a specialized TARPS display to observe reconnaissance data. [10] TARPS system was introduced in 1980. [10] The TARPS was upgraded with digital camera in 1996 with the "TARPS Digital (TARPS-DI)". The digital camera was further updated beginning in 1998 with the "TARPS-CD" configuration. [10]

Adding ground attack capability

An F-14D from VF-213 over Iraq on last Tomcat deployment with LANTIRN pod on starboard glovevane station and LGB underneath fuselage.
An F-14D from VF-213 over Iraq on last Tomcat deployment with LANTIRN pod on starboard glovevane station and LGB underneath fuselage. Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213 is a US Navy strike fighter squadron based at NAS Oceana. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

In the 1990s, with the pending retirement of the A-6 Intruder, the F-14 air-to-ground program was resurrected. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces The first experiments with bombs were carried out in the late 1980s. However, the main task of the F-14 was air defense in Operation Desert Storm, so most air-to-ground missions were left to A-7 and F/A-18 squadrons. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-14 was cleared operationally to drop basic iron bombs in 1992. To provide for use of precision munitions, the remaining F-14As and F-14Bs underwent an upgrade program. The upgrade included digital avionics, improved cockpit displays, structural improvements and improved defensive systems. The upgraded fighters had avionics comparable to the F-14Ds and were designated F-14A (Upgrade) and F-14B (Upgrade), respectively. [9]

By 1994 Grumman and the Navy were proposing ambitious plans for Tomcat upgrades to plug that gap between the retirement of the A-6 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet entering service, 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 gap. [9] The solution finally devised was an inexpensive and quick upgrade, with fit of the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) targeting pod system to gave the F-14 a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera for night operations and a laser target designator to direct laser guided bombs (LGB). Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN is a system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft -- the F-15E Strike Eagle and [11]

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. The Tomcat's LANTIRN targeting pod featured some improvements over its baseline configuration, most significantly a Global Positioning System / Inertial Navigation System (GPS-INS) capability that allowed a Tomcat to find its own location at any time. The pod was carried on the right wing glove pylon. [11]

An F-14D from VF-31, makes a transonic, low-level fly-by with LANTIRN pod on starboard glovevane station.
An F-14D from VF-31, makes a transonic, low-level fly-by with LANTIRN pod on starboard glovevane station. Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31 known as the Tomcatters are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the Transonic is an Aeronautics term referring to a range of velocities just below and above the Speed of sound (about mach 0 Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board a vessel and facing the bow (front

Fit of the LANTIRN 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 on upgraded F-14A/Bs. The RIO received pod imagery on his display and guided 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. [11] An upgraded LANTIRN named "LANTIRN 40K" with 40K laser allowing improved operation up to 40,000 feet (12,200 m) was introduced into service in 2001. [11] Tomcats also added the ability to carry the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), giving it the option of a variety of LGB and GPS-guided weapons. Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth

Further improvements

Tomcats benefited from the Digital Flight Control System (DFCS). The DFCS improved handling qualities behind the aircraft carrier, at high AoA, and in ACM situations. Angle of attack ( AOA, \alpha Greek letter alpha) is a term used in Aerodynamics to describe the Angle between the Air combat maneuvering ( ACM) is the art of maneuvering a combat Aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft

The latest upgrade to the Tomcat included the Link 16 software which enables the aircraft to target enemy aircraft spotted by AWACS aircraft without using its own radar, giving it superior look down kill ability in BVR combat scenarios.

Design

Overview

The F-14 Tomcat was designed as both an air superiority fighter and a long range, naval interceptor. The F-14 has a two seat cockpit with a canopy that affords 360 degree visibility. The plane features variable geometry wings that swing automatically during flight. For high-speed intercept, they are swept back; they swing forward to allow the F-14 to turn sharply and dogfight. It was designed to improve on the F-4 Phantom's air combat performance in several respects. 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. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia A hardpoint is any part of an Airframe designed to carry an external load 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 M61 Vulcan is a 20 mm Hydraulically or Pneumatically driven six- barreled air-cooled The Gatling gun is considered by some to have been the first Machine gun: although it did not automatically reload under its own power it was capable of firing continuously The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided long-range air-to-air Missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles — formerly on the U The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters The U. S. Navy wanted the F-14 to have a thrust-to-weight ratio of one or greater, though this was not achieved until after the F-14 entered service because of delays in engine development. Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface

Fuselage and wings

The fuselage consists of a large flat area called the "pancake". The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo Fuel, electronics, flight controls, and the wing-sweep mechanism are all housed in the fuselage "pancake". The "pancake" also provides additional lift. The wings pivot from two extensions on either side of the "pancake", called wing gloves. The twin engines are housed in nacelles below and slightly to the rear, with the fuselage smoothly blending into the shape of the exhaust nozzles. A podded engine is a jet engine in a pod typically attached below the wing or to the tail of the aircraft The nacelles are spaced apart 1 - 3 feet. This produces a wide tunnel between the nacelles which causes some drag. However, this tunnel provides space to carry Phoenix or Sparrow missiles, assorted bombs, or the TARPS reconnaissance pod, and increases fuel capacity and room for equipment. [8]

The F-14's wing sweep can be varied between 20° and 68° in flight,[12] and is automatically controlled by an air data computer. This maintains the wing sweep to give the optimum lift-to-drag ratio as the Mach number varies, but the system can be manually overridden by the pilot if necessary. In Aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio, or L/D ratio ("ell-over-dee" in the US "ell-dee" in the UK is the amount of lift generated Mach number (\mathrm{Ma} or M (generally ˈmɑːk sometimes /ˈmɑːx/ or /ˈmæk/ is the speed of an object moving through air or any Fluid When the aircraft is parked, the wings can be "overswept" to 75°, where they overlap the tail to save space on tight carrier decks. In an emergency, the F-14 can land with the wings fully swept to 68°,[8] although this is far from optimum and presents a significant safety hazard. The F-14 can also fly and land safely with the wings swept asymmetrically, in emergencies. [4]

The wings have a two-spar structure with integral fuel tanks. Much of the structure, including the wing box, wing pivots and upper and lower wing skins is made of titanium,[8] a light, rigid and strong material, but also difficult to weld, and costly. Titanium (taɪˈteɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ti and Atomic number 22 Ailerons are not fitted, with roll control being provided by wing mounted spoilers at low speed (which are disabled if the sweep angle exceeds 57°), and by differential operation of the all-moving tailerons at high speed. For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing Flight dynamics is the science of air and space vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions In Aeronautics a spoiler (sometimes called a lift dumper) is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft [8] Full-span slats and flaps are used to increase lift both for landing and combat, with slats being set at 17° for landing and 7° for combat, while flaps are set at 35° for landing and 10° for combat. Slats is also a nickname for Australian cricketer Michael Slater, and NHL executive Glen Sather Slats are Aerodynamic Flaps are hinged surfaces on the trailing edge of the wings of a Fixed-wing aircraft. [8] The twin tail layout helps in maneuvers at high AoA (angle of attack) while reducing the height of the aircraft to fit within the limited roof clearance of hangars aboard aircraft carriers. A hangar is an enclosed structure to hold Aircraft in protective storage An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with Two under-engine mount points are provided for external fuel tanks.

Two retractable surfaces, called glove vanes, were originally mounted in the forward part of the wing glove, and could be automatically extended by the flight control system at high Mach numbers. They were used to generate additional lift ahead of the aircraft's center of gravity, thus helping to compensate for the nose-down pitching tendencies at supersonic speeds. Flight dynamics is the science of air and space vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions Automatically deployed at above Mach 1. 4, they allowed the F-14 to pull 7. 5 g at Mach 2 and could be manually extended at above Mach 1. They were later disabled, however, owing to their additional weight and complexity. [8]

The airbrakes consist of top-and-bottom extendable surfaces at the rearmost portion of the fuselage, between the engine nacelles. In Aeronautics, air brakes are a type of flight control used on Aircraft to reduce speed during landing The bottom surface is split into left and right halves, with the arrestor hook hanging between the two halves. This arrangement is sometimes called the "castor tail"[13] or "beavertail. "[5] The Tomcat has fully mechanical flying controls,[8] with the only exception being the spoilers, which are hydro-electrically driven.

Engines and landing gear

An F-14 prepares to refuel with probe extended.
An F-14 prepares to refuel with probe extended.

The engines are fed by two rectangular air intakes located under the wings. These Pratt & Whitney JT10A's (better known as the TF30) were relatively powerful for the time (5. Pratt & Whitney is an American Aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 670/9. 480 kg/t) and being turbofans, they allowed reduced fuel consumption while cruising, which was important for long patrol missions. Fuel efficiency, in its basic sense is the same as Thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier

Both air intakes have movable ramps and bleed doors that are operated by the air data computer to enable enough air to enter the engine while keeping shockwaves away from the engine. The exhausts also feature variable nozzles with moving petals that open or close depending on engine state. The TF30 engines left much to be desired both in power and reliability. John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, told Congress that the F-14/TF30 combination was "probably the worst engine/airframe mismatch we have had in years" and said that the TF30 was "a terrible engine",[12][13] with F-14 accidents attributed to engine failures accounting for 28% of overall losses. John F Lehman Jr (born September 14, 1942) is an American Investment banker and Writer who served as Secretary of the The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. The cracks in the turbines were dangerous to the point that the engine bay was reinforced in case of blade failure, to help reduce damage to the rest of the aircraft. The TF30 engines were also extremely prone to compressor stalls, which could easily result in loss of control due to the wide engine spacing, which causes severe yaw oscillations and can lead to an unrecoverable flat spin. At specific altitudes, the exhaust from a launched missile could cause the engine compressor to stall. This resulted in the development of a bleed system that temporarily reduced the power of the engine and blocked the frontal intake during missile launch. The overall thrust-to-weight ratio at maximum load is around 0. 56 to 1, which does not compare favorably with the F-15A's ratio of 0. 85 to 1. [14] Even so, the aircraft itself is able to reach Mach 2. 4, and the maximum speed is officially Mach 2. 34. Internal fuel capacity is 2,400 US gallons (9100 L): 290 US gallons (1100 L) in each wing, 690 US gallons (2600 L) in a series of tanks aft of the cockpit, and a further 457 US gallons (1730 L) in two feeder tanks. A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries The aircraft can carry two 269 US gallon (1020 L) external tanks under the nacelles. There is also an air-to-air refueling probe, which folds into the starboard nose.

F-14 with landing gear deployed.
F-14 with landing gear deployed.

The undercarriage is very robust, in order to withstand the harsh takeoffs and landings necessary for carrier operation. It comprises a double nose wheel and widely spaced single main wheels. The result is very different from the narrow and high undercarriage of F-15 Eagle. Both have similar weights, and a high wing that makes undercarriage stowage impractical, but the Tomcat fuselage is wider and the aircraft does not need to hold big external fuel tanks, as the Eagle often does, in the ventral positions. There are no hardpoints on the sweeping parts of the wings, and so all the armament is fitted on the belly between the air intakes and on pylons under the wing gloves. A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons

Avionics and flight controls

The cockpit has two seats, arranged in tandem. A cockpit is the area usually near the front of an Aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft Tandem is a Latin Adverb meaning "at length" or "finally" The pilot and radar intercept officer (RIO) sit in Martin-Baker GRU-7A rocket-propelled ejection seats, rated from zero altitude and zero airspeed up to 450 knots. In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency [15] They have a 360° view in a canopy that is also fitted with four mirrors, one for the RIO and the others for the pilot. An aircraft canopy is the transparent enclosure over the cockpit of some types of Aircraft. The canopy is still fairly traditional; being in three parts, but the overall structure is large and gives good visibility. The crews have classical controls and many older instruments, with an analog-digital hybrid lay out. Only the pilot has flight controls. [8] No dual control version was ever made for the F-14, so the pilot starts to learn how to fly the machine using other aircraft and simulators. A flight simulator is a system that tries to copy or simulate, the experience of flying an aircraft The main control systems are a HUD made by Kaiser, a VSI and a HSI display, that gives data on airspeed, navigation and other information. A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpont The F-14A and F-14B Tomcat do not have multi-mode displays, unlike the later F-16s and F/A-18s. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The nose of the aircraft is large because it carries not only the two person crew, but also a large number of avionics systems. Avionics means "aviation electronics" It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft artificial satellites and spacecraft comprising Communications The ECM and navigation suite are extremely comprehensive and complex. The main element is the Hughes AWG-9 X-band radar, which in the initial version included a lightweight 5400B digital system with 32 kilobytes of RAM. The antenna dish is a 36-inch (91 cm) wide planar array, uses 10 kW of power, and has integrated IFF antennas. There are available several search and tracking modes, such as Track-While-Scan (TWS), Range-While-Search (RWS), Pulse-Doppler Single-Target Track (PDSTT), Jam Angle Track (JAT). The track while scan ( TWS) is a mode of Radar operation in which the radar allocates part of its power to tracking the target or targets while part of its power is A maximum of 24 targets can be tracked simultaneously and six can be engaged in the mode "multiple" (TWS) up to around 60 miles (100 km). There is also a "single target" mode with a maximum range of around 96 statute miles (150 km). The maximum search range can exceed 120 statute miles (190 km) and even a fighter can be locked onto at around 72 - 90 statute miles (120–140 km). Cruise missiles are also possible targets with the AWG-9, since this radar can lock onto and track even small objects at low altitude with a Doppler filter. A cruise missile is a guided Missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system usually a Jet engine, to allow The radar antenna dish is in the nose, and most of the radar avionics are located just behind the nose, near the pilot's position. Other avionics (such as IFF, communication radios, direction-finding equipment, etc) are near the RIO's position, and are mostly integrated into the AWG-9 display system. Early Tomcats featured ECM and RWR systems, chaff launchers, fighter-to-fighter data link, and a precise inertial navigation system. Electronic Countermeasures ( ECM') are a subsection of Electronic warfare which includes any sort of electrical or electronic device designed to trick Chaff (tʃɑːf or /tʃæf/ depending on dialect &ndash both to rhyme with "half" is the inedible dry scaly protective casings of the seeds of Cereal grain, or

The original set of sensors also comprised an infrared sensor under the nose in a "chin pod": it was AN/ALR-23 with indium antimonide detectors, cooled by a self-contained Stirling-cycle cryogenic system, but this proved ineffective, and was replaced with a new system. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of Indium (ˈɪndiəm is a Chemical element with chemical symbol In and Atomic number 49 Antimonides are compounds of Antimony with more Electropositive elements Cryogenics is often used incorrectly to refer to Cryonics, cryopreserving humans or animals This was an optical system, Northrop AAX-1, also called TCS (TV Camera Set) and was used to help pilots visually identify and track aircraft, at least on day missions,[8] up to a range of more than 60 miles for large aircraft (a zoom function was included to help with small fighters). The TCS could be "slaved" to the radar to follow whatever the radar is tracking, and the radar could be slaved to the TCS to track whatever the camera "sees. " Both the crew have access to the images on their displays. Despite its utility, for a long time most F-14s did not have the system added. Bill Gunston reported that even in 1983 this lack meant that only one in eight aircraft had the system fitted. [16] In every case, this system is the only one of its kind fielded by modern US fighters for air to air missions.

A dual IR/TCS system was adopted for the later F-14D variant, with an ECM antenna fitted as well in the same mast. This meant Tomcats could be configured with only an ECM antenna, or the IR sensor, or TCS, or many combinations thereof. The Tomcat's ESM system consists of many subsystems: RWR, ECM, and chaff/flare dispensers in various parts of the fuselage, nose, tail and wings. This was a marked difference with many previous fighter aircraft in that some did not even include a simple RWR.

Armament

The Tomcat was originally designed to combat both highly maneuverable aircraft and the Soviet cruise missile/bomber threat. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. As a result, the aircraft was designed to act effectively in every aspect of air combat. For weaponry, the Tomcat was mainly designed as a platform for the formidable AIM-54 Phoenix, but unlike the stillborn F-111B it could also engage medium and short range threats. The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided long-range air-to-air Missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles — formerly on the U WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout As such, the F-14 was a full air superiority fighter and not only a long range interceptor. Air superiority is the dominance in the Air power of one side's air forces over the other side's during a Military campaign. It had the standard US gun, the M61 Vulcan, with 676 rounds and 4,000 or 6,000 RPM selectable (the latter usually for air-to ground missions). The M61 Vulcan is a 20 mm Hydraulically or Pneumatically driven six- barreled air-cooled Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific Weapon can fire or launch its projectiles Over 6,700 kg of stores could be carried for combat missions in several hard points under the belly and on wing-mounted hardpoints. Commonly, this meant a maximum of two - four Phoenixs or Sparrows on the belly stations, two Phoenixs/Sparrows on the wing hardpoints, and two Sidewinders on the wing hardpoints. On occasion, four AIM-7 Sparrows (on the belly) and four AIM-9 Sidewinders (on the wingmounts) were carried, similar to the F-4 and F-15.

The theoretical maximum load of six Phoenix missiles was so heavy that such a combination was never used operationally. This meant the capability to engage six targets went unused, although early testing proved it was possible and the F-14 was never operationally required to engage six hostile targets simultaneously. Tomcats were rarely sent on patrol alone.

Operational history

See also: Combat history of the F-14

The F-14 Tomcat was the Navy's primary air superiority fighter and tactical reconnaissance platform from 1972 to 2006. F-14 Tomcat Since its inception the F-14 has been widely used in action by both the US Navy and the Iranian Air Force although knowledge about the combat service with the Iranians is disputed The F-14 has served in Iran's Air Force from 1978 to the present day.

United States Navy

An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in a 1970s color scheme.
An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in a 1970s color scheme. Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (the Jolly Rogers is a Strike Fighter Squadron of the United States Navy flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet and is based at

The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom II in USN service starting in September 1974 with squadrons VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters aboard USS Enterprise and participated in the American withdrawal of Saigon. This article is about the fighter squadron for the Mecha seen in Macross / Robotech, see VF-1 Valkyrie. Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2 also known as the "Bounty Hunters" is a United States Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter squadron based at Design Enterprise was intended to be the first of a class of six but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down resulting in her Operation Frequent Wind was the Emergency evacuation by Helicopter from Saigon, South Vietnam, in April 1975 during the last days The F-14 had its first kills on 19 August 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra in what is known as the Gulf of Sidra incident after two F-14s from VF-41 Black Aces were engaged by two Libyan Su-22 "Fitters". Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. The first Gulf of Sidra incident, August 19 1981, was an incident in which two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter attack aircraft were shot down by two VFA-41 Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41 also known as the "Black Aces" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-14s evaded the short range heat seeking AA-2 "Atoll" missile and returned fire, downing both Libyan aircraft. The K-13 ( NATO reporting name AA-2 Atoll) was one of the world's most proliferated Air-to-air missiles Developed by the Soviet U. S. Navy F-14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on 4 January 1989, when two F-14s from VF-32 shot down two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" over the Gulf of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra incident. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The VF-32 Swordsmen are a US Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at NAS Oceana. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. The second Gulf of Sidra incident, January 4, 1989, occurred when two US F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23

Despite the attention given to the Tomcat over aerial encounters in the Gulf of Sidra, its first sustained combat baptism of fire was as a photo reconnaissance platform. The Tomcat was selected to inherit the Reconnaissance mission upon departure of the dedicated RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusaders from the fleet. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A large pod called the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed and fielded on the Tomcat in 1981. The article about about the camera pod For the bus service see TARTA. With the retirement of the last RF-8G Crusaders in 1982, TARPS F-14s became the U. S. Navy's primary tactical reconnaissance system. [17] One of two Tomcat squadrons per airwing was designated as a TARPS unit and received 3 TARPS capable aircraft and training for 4 TARPS aircrews.

An F-14A Tomcat from VF-114 intercepting a Soviet Tu-95RT "Bear-D" maritime patrol aircraft.
An F-14A Tomcat from VF-114 intercepting a Soviet Tu-95RT "Bear-D" maritime patrol aircraft. The VF-114 Aardvarks was a US Navy fighter squadron established on 20 January 1945 and deactivated on 30 April 1993 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

While the Tomcat was being used in combat in its intended air superiority mission over the skies of Iran in the early 1980s, the US Navy found itself flying regular daily combat missions over Lebanon to photograph activity in the Bekaa Valley. Beqaa ( Arabic: البقاع "valley" also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ‘ or Becaa) is a fertile Valley in At the time, the Tomcat had been thought too large and vulnerable to be used overland, but the need for imagery was so great that Tomcat aircrews developed high speed medium altitude tactics to deal with considerable AAA and SA-7 SAM threat in the Bekaa area. An urgent combat need was stated to address the Tomcat vulnerability in this type of mission. The first exposure of a Tomcat to a SA-2 was over Somalia in April 1983 when a local battery was unaware of two Tomcats scheduled for a TARPS missions in prelude to an upcoming international exercise in vicinity of Berbera. An SA-2 was fired at the second Tomcat while conducting 10 thousand foot mapping profile at max conserve setting. The Tomcat aircrews spotted the missile launch and dove for the deck thereby evading it without damage. The unexpected demand for combat TARPS laid the way for high altitude sensors such as the KA-93 36 in (91 cm) Long Range Optics (LOROP) to be rapidly procured for the Tomcat as well as an Expanded Chaff Adapter (ECA) to be incorporated in a AIM-54 Phoenix Rail. Commercial "Fuzz buster" type radar detectors were also procured and mounted in pairs in the forward cockpit as a stop gap solution to detect SAM radars such as the SA-6. The ultimate solution was an upgrade to the ALR-67 then being developed, but it would not be ready until the advent of the F-14A+ in the latter 1980s. During the Gulf of Sidra operations in 1986, the Tomcats were used in over-water missions only due to their vulnerability overland. It was not until Desert Shield that US Navy Tomcats were introduced to overland combat operations on a regular basis.

An F-14A Tomcat from VF-32 during Desert Storm. A KC-135 Stratotanker and two EA-6B Prowlers can be seen in the background.
An F-14A Tomcat from VF-32 during Desert Storm. The VF-32 Swordsmen are a US Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at NAS Oceana. A KC-135 Stratotanker and two EA-6B Prowlers can be seen in the background. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The participation of the F-14 Tomcat in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm consisted of Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and overland missions consisting of strike escort and reconnaissance. Until the waning days of Desert Storm, in-country air superiority was tasked to USAF F-15 Eagles due to the way the Air Tasking Orders (ATO) delegated primary overland CAP stations to the F-15 Eagle. The governing Rules of Engagement (ROE) also dictated a strict Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) requirement when employing Beyond Visual Range weapons such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and particularly the AIM-54 Phoenix. This hampered the Tomcat from using its most powerful weapon. Furthermore, the powerful emissions from the AWG-9 radar are detectable at great range with a radar warning receiver. Iraqi fighters routinely displayed countertactics as soon as the Tomcats "lit them up" with the AWG-9. The Iraqis would immediately abandon the attack while well out of range, perhaps indicating their familiarity with both the Tomcat and the AIM-54 from previous encounters with Iranian F-14s. The US Navy suffered its only F-14 loss from enemy action on 21 January 1991 when b/n 161430, an F-14A upgraded to an F-14A+, from VF-103 was shot down by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission near Al Asad airbase in Iraq. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (the Jolly Rogers is a Strike Fighter Squadron of the United States Navy flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet and is based at Al Asad Airbase (once known as Qadisiyah Airbase is the largest US military Airbase in the largely Sunni western Iraq Province of Al Anbar Province Both crew survived ejection with the pilot being rescued by USAF Special Forces and the RIO being captured and held by Iraqi troops as a POW until the end of the war. [18] The F-14 also achieved its final kill, an Mi-8 "Hip" helicopter, with an AIM-9 Sidewinder. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters

In 1995, F-14s from VF-14 and VF-41 participated in Operation Deliberate Force as well as Operation Allied Force in 1999, and in 1998, VF-32 and VF-213 participated in Operation Desert Fox. The VFA-14 Tophatters are a United States Navy fighter attack squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. VFA-41 Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41 also known as the "Black Aces" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore The 1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (code-named by NATO Operation Deliberate Force) was a sustained air campaign conducted by the The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that On 15 February 2001 the Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM was added to the Tomcat's arsenal. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force On 7 October 2001 F-14s would lead some of the first strikes into Afghanistan marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom and the first F-14 drop of a JDAM occurred on 11 March 2002. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. F-14s from VF-2, VF-31, VF-32, VF-154, and VF-213 would also participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2 also known as the "Bounty Hunters" is a United States Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter squadron based at Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31 known as the Tomcatters are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the The VF-32 Swordsmen are a US Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at NAS Oceana. Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154 also known as the "Black Knights" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213 is a US Navy strike fighter squadron based at NAS Oceana. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The F-14Ds of VF-2, VF-31, and VF-213 obtained JDAM capability in March of 2003. [19] On 10 December 2005, the F-14Ds of VF-31 and VF-213 were upgraded with a ROVER III downlink, a system originally designed for use with unmanned aerial vehicles which allows a Forward Air Controller (FAC) on the ground to see real-time images acquired by the aircraft's sensors by transmitting these images to the FAC's laptop. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ROVER, which stands for Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver is a system which allows ground forces such as Forward Air Controllers (FAC to see what an aircraft or An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV is an unpiloted Aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic A forward air controller (FAC is a qualified individual who from a forward position on the ground or in the air directs the action of Military aircraft engaged [20] The F-14s of VF-31 and VF-213 deployed on its last combat cruise on USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2005. Timeline Her history began on 30 September 1980 when a contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding.

Replacement

An F-14 and F/A-18 prepare to launch from USS Enterprise, 1985.
An F-14 and F/A-18 prepare to launch from USS Enterprise, 1985. Design Enterprise was intended to be the first of a class of six but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down resulting in her

While the F-14 had been developed as a light weight alternative to the 80,000 lb (36,000 kg) F-111B, the F-14 was still the largest and most expensive fighter in its time. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout VFAX was revived in the 1970s as a lower cost solution to replacing the Navy's fleet of USMC Phantoms, and A-7. VFAX for Naval Fighter Attack Experimental was actually two specifications for two US Naval fighter projects VFAX would be merged with the USAF Light Weight Fighter fighter competition, from which the F/A-18 Hornet emerged as roughly a midsize fighter. The Lightweight Fighter (LWF program was a US Air Force technology evaluation program initiated in the 1960s by a cabal of officers and defense analysts known as the WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

In 1994, Congress would reject Grumman proposals to the Navy to upgrade the Tomcat beyond the D model (such as the Super Tomcat 21, the cheaper QuickStrike version, and the more advanced Attack Super Tomcat 21). [21] Instead, the Navy elected to retire the F-14 and chose the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to fill the roles of fleet defense and strike formerly filled by the F-14. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Retirement

The F-14 has completed its retirement from US Naval service. At one point, it was slated to remain in service through at least 2008, but all F-14A and F-14B airframes had already been retired, and the last two squadrons, the VF-31 Tomcatters and the VF-213 Black Lions, both flying the "D" models, arrived for their last fly-in at Naval Air Station Oceana on 10 March 2006. Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31 known as the Tomcatters are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213 is a US Navy strike fighter squadron based at NAS Oceana. Naval Air Station Oceana or NAS Oceana is a military airport located in Virginia Beach Virginia, and is a United States Navy Master Jet Base Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [22]

The last American F-14 to fly a combat mission, an F-14D from VF-213, lands at Sherman Field at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
The last American F-14 to fly a combat mission, an F-14D from VF-213, lands at Sherman Field at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213 is a US Navy strike fighter squadron based at NAS Oceana. Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola, "The Cradle of Naval Aviation" is a United States Navy base located in Warrington, Florida Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the

The last American F-14 combat mission was completed on 8 February 2006, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt after one dropped a bomb in Iraq. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Timeline Her history began on 30 September 1980 when a contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. That aircraft was assigned to VF-31 and the aircrew credited with the last bomb dropped in combat by a Navy Tomcat was pilot Lt Justin Halligan and RIO Lt Bill Frank. A Naval Flight Officer (NFO in the United States Navy and Marine Corps is an officer of the line meaning they can screen for command in the Naval aviation The other Tomcat on that mission was an F-14D from VF-213 piloted by Commander Air Wing Eight, Capt. William G. Sizemore, and became the last F-14 to land on an aircraft carrier after a combat mission. During their final deployment with the USS Theodore Roosevelt, VF-31 and VF-213 collectively completed 1,163 combat sorties totaling 6,876 flight hours, and dropped 9,500 pounds (4300 kg) of ordnance during reconnaissance, surveillance, and close air support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign [23]

On 10 March 2006, the 22 planes from these squadrons flew in formation into Naval Air Station Oceana after the last deployment of the F-14. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Naval Air Station Oceana or NAS Oceana is a military airport located in Virginia Beach Virginia, and is a United States Navy Master Jet Base VF-31 remained operational in the F-14 Tomcat under the Fleet Response Plan (FRP) through September and conducted the last carrier qualifications in late July maintaining their ability to deploy right up until the end. VF-213 and VF-31 would transition to the Super Hornet training.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) shot from its catapult an F-14D, assigned to VF-31, for the last time on 28 July 2006. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was piloted by Lt Blake Coleman & Lt Cmdr Dave Lauderbaugh as RIO. [24] The last trap recovery was made a while before by Lt Chris Rattigan and LT Paul Dort, on aircraft no. 110. The "official" final flight retirement ceremony was on 22 September 2006 at Naval Air Station Oceana. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The ceremonial last flight was flown by Lt Cmdr Chris Richard & Lt Mike Petronis as RIO in a backup F-14,[25] after the primary aircraft experienced a mechanical problem. [26] The actual last flight of the F-14 Tomcat in US service took place 4 October 2006, when an F-14D of VF-31 was ferried from Oceana to Republic Airport on Long Island, NY. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [25]

The remaining intact US Navy F-14 aircraft have been stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group "Boneyard", at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base adjacent to Tucson, Arizona. As of July 2007, many of the remaining 165 aircraft were being shredded to prevent parts from being acquired by Iran, the only other nation to buy the F-14. By July 2007, 23 F-14s had been shredded at a cost of $900,000. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Because of the strength of the landing gear, it was removed before shredding and cut up with a torch. [27]

Iran

A U.S. "Top Gun" F-14A, painted to resemble an Iranian fighter for air combat adversary training.
A U. S. "Top Gun" F-14A, painted to resemble an Iranian fighter for air combat adversary training.

The sole foreign customer for the Tomcat was the Imperial Iranian Air Force, during the reign of the last Shah (King) of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The history of the Iranian Air Force can be divided into two phases - before the Islamic Revolution, and after it Shah is an Iranian term for a Monarch (leader that has been adopted in many other languages

In the early 1970s, the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was searching for an advanced fighter, specifically one capable of intercepting Soviet MiG-25 "Foxbat" reconnaissance flights. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information After a visit of U. S. President Richard Nixon to Iran in 1972, during which Iran was offered the latest in American military technology, the IIAF narrowed its choice to the F-14 Tomcat or McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. Grumman Corporation arranged a competitive demonstration of the Eagle against the Tomcat before the Shah, and in January 1974 Iran ordered 30 F-14s and 424 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, initiating Project Persian King, worth US$300 million. The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U Only a few months later, this was expanded by an order for 50 additional F-14As and 290 AIM-54s. The Iranian order was for 80 Tomcats and 714 Phoenix missiles, spare parts, and replacement engines for ten years, complete armament package, and support infrastructure (including construction of the huge Khatami Air Base in the desert near Esfahan). Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan or Hispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān

The first F-14 arrived in January 1976, modified only by the removal of classified avionics components, but fitted with the TF-30-414 engines. The following year 12 more were delivered. Meanwhile, training of the first groups of Iranian crews by the US Navy, was underway in the USA; and one of these conducted a successful shoot-down with a Phoenix missile of a target drone flying at 50,000 ft (15 km).

Following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the air force was re-named the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and the regime of Ayatollah Khomeini cancelled most Western arms orders. The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 Knowledge about F-14 use by Iran is limited; deteriorating relations led to an arms embargo being imposed on Iran, including the last Tomcat built for Iran, which was embargoed and eventually turned over to the United States Navy. Large shipments of spares were held back, and many aircraft were cannibalized for their spare parts. Limited reports from the Iran-Iraq war gave some indications Iran was exploiting the range and multi-contact tracking capabilities of the AWG-9 radar to use their Tomcats in the AWACS role, and that this usage was at least partly due to Iran's lack of a stockpile of usable AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.

In January 2007, it was announced by the US Department of Defense that sales of spare parts for F-14s would be suspended, due to concerns that they could end up in Iran. It announced that the decision was taken "given the current situation in Iran". [28] On 2 July 2007, the remaining American F-14s were being shredded to ensure that F-14 spare parts would not be acquired by governments considered hostile to the US. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [27]

Although Iran is believed to possess 59 F-14s, only 20 to 25 are estimated to be in service. [29]

Variants

A total of 712 F-14s were built[30] at Grumman's factory in Calverton on Long Island from 1969 to 1991. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches [31] While the F-14 is listed as being produced in Bethpage, NY, all construction and test flights were performed out of Grumman's Calverton facility. The Bethpage facility produced World War II aircraft and was home to the engineers who designed the F-14. However the Bethpage site no longer had the facilities or airport required to produce such a large airplane. [31] Over 160 of the US aircraft were destroyed in accidents. [32]

F-14A

The F-14A was the original production two-seat all-weather interceptor fighter version for the US Navy. Modifications late in its service life added precision strike munitions to its armament. The US Navy received 478 F-14A aircraft plus 79 went to Iran. [30] The first 12 F-14As were prototype versions. [33] The final 102 F-14As were delivered with improved TF30-P-414A engines. [34] Additionally, an 80th F-14A was manufactured for Iran, but was delivered to the US Navy. [30]

F-14B

Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals that distinguish the GE F110 engine.
Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals that distinguish the GE F110 engine.

The F-14 received its first of many major upgrades in March 1987 with the F-14A Plus (or F-14A+). The F-14A's P&W TF30 engine was upgraded with the GE F110-400. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-14A+ also received the state-of-the-art ALR-67 Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) system. The AN/ALR-67 Radar Warning Receiver is designed to warn an aircraft's crew of potentially hostile radar activity Much of the avionics as well as the AWG-9 radar were retained. The F-14A+ was later redesignated F-14B on 1 May 1991. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A total of 38 new aircraft were manufactured and 48 F-14A were upgraded to B variants. [35]

The TF30 had been plagued from the start with susceptibility to compressor stalls at high AoA and during rapid throttle transients or above 30,000 feet. A compressor stall is a situation of abnormal airflow resulting from a stall of the aerofoils within the compressor The F110 engine provided a significant increase in thrust, producing 27,600 lbf (123 kN) with afterburner. The increased thrust giving the Tomcat a better than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio at low fuel quantities. The basic engine thrust without afterburner was powerful enough for carrier launches, further increasing safety. Another benefit was allowing the Tomcat to cruise comfortably above 30,000 ft, which increased its range and survivability. The F-14B arrived in time to participate in Desert Storm.

In the late 1990s, 67 F-14Bs were upgraded to extend airframe life and improve offensive and defensive avionics systems. The modified aircraft became known as F-14B Upgrade aircraft. [34]

F-14D

The final variant of the F-14 was the F-14D Super Tomcat. The F-14D variant was first delivered in 1991. The original TF-30 engines were replaced with GE F110-400 engines, similar to the F-14B. The F-14D also included newer digital avionics systems including a Glass cockpit and replaced the AWG-9 with the newer AN/APG-71 radar. A glass cockpit is an Aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays. The AN/AWG-9 and AN/APG-71 radars are all-weather multi-mode radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) for the F-14 Tomcat fighter/interceptor Other systems included the Airborne Self Protection Jammer (ASPJ), Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), SJU-17(V) Naval Aircrew Common Ejection Seats (NACES) and Infrared Search and Track (IRST). An infra-red search and track ( IRST) system (sometimes known as infra-red sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off

Although the F-14D was to be the definitive version of the Tomcat, all fleet units were never upgraded to the D variant. In 1989, Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, recommended that no D model aircraft be purchased for $50 million and pushed for a $25 million modernization instead. Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. He called the aircraft 1960s technology and planned to replace the F-14 with an Advanced Tactical Fighter variant. [36] Congress decided not to shut production down and funded 55 aircraft as part of a compromise. A total of 37 new aircraft were constructed and 18 F-14A were upgraded to D variants. [35]

Operators

F-14, front view.
F-14, front view.

Flag of the United States United States

Flag of Iran Iran

Survivors

F-14s preserved at museums include:

YF-14A '157984' outside the National Museum of Naval Aviation in April 2008
YF-14A '157984' outside the National Museum of Naval Aviation in April 2008

Specifications (F-14D Super Tomcat)

Orthographically projected diagram of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
An F-14 launches an AIM-7 Sparrow.
An F-14 launches an AIM-7 Sparrow. The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy

Data from U. S. Navy file[38][39]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) of ordnance including:

Avionics

Popular culture

The F-14 inspired a number of pop cultural uses worldwide. The M61 Vulcan is a 20 mm Hydraulically or Pneumatically driven six- barreled air-cooled The Gatling gun is considered by some to have been the first Machine gun: although it did not automatically reload under its own power it was capable of firing continuously The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided long-range air-to-air Missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles — formerly on the U The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft Raytheon GBU-24 Family Paveway is a trademark of Raytheon Company which identifies its variants of Laser Guided Bombs (LGB Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force The CBU-100 Cluster Bomb (also called the Mk-20 Rockeye II is a Cluster bomb which is employed primarily in an Anti-tank mode The Mark 82 (Mk 82 is an unguided low- drag General-purpose bomb ( Dumb bomb) part of the U The Mark 83 is part of the Mark 80 series of low- drag General-purpose bombs in United States service The Mark 84 is an American General-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes. The AN/AWG-9 and AN/APG-71 radars are all-weather multi-mode radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) for the F-14 Tomcat fighter/interceptor In 1980, the time-travel film The Final Countdown featured the VF-41 "Black Aces" and VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" F-14 fighter squadrons aboard USS Nimitz. The Final Countdown is a 1980 Science fiction Film about a modern Aircraft carrier that travels through time to just Ship's history The USS Nimitz was first deployed to the Mediterranean in 1976 in company with the nuclear powered Cruisers USS ''South Carolina'' The F-14s of the "Jolly Rogers" were also a primary inspiration for the VF-1 Valkyrie in the 1982-1983 Japanese animated TV series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (adapted outside Japan as part of Robotech). Design The VF-1 is built in three main variants (along with several less frequently used variants A standard soldier's fighter is the VF-1A, a team leader/squadron commander's (anime in Japanese, is an Anime Television series According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a small love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" Robotech is a Science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different Anime Television series. [40][41] In 1986, the F-14 was the main aircraft in the film Top Gun, spawning a surge in U. Top Gun is a 1986 American Film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with S. Navy recruiting,[42] as well as a video game franchise. The popularity of the 1986 Film Top Gun resulted in a number of licensed Video games that have been released since the The 1995–2005 TV series JAG featured a qualified F-14 pilot as a lead character and a retired F-14 airframe in several episodes. JAG (the American Military Acronym for Judge Advocate General) is an American adventure / Legal drama Television An F-14 scale model toy, called the Skystriker XP-F14, fitted with Sparrow, Sidewinder and Phoenix models, was the aircraft chosen to accompany G.I. Joe action figures. GI Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the Toy company Hasbro. It was paired with the enormous USS Flagg carrier model. The USS Flagg is a fictional US Navy Aircraft carrier from the toy line and cartoon series G The F-14 has been featured in numerous other video games, and lesser roles in other films and TV series.

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ Bob Petrella (Writer), Max Raphael (Narrator). Aircraft classified as fourth generation jet fighters are those in service approximately from 1980–2010 representing the design concepts of the 1970s The Teen Series is a popular name for a group of US combat aircraft WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This list of military aircraft of the United States includes prototype pre-production and operational types A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed (2002, 12 March). Modern Marvels [DVD]. Modern Marvels is a documentary Television series on History that answers the question of how many things in the Modern world are The History Channel. History, formerly known as The History Channel, is a Satellite and Cable TV channel, with shows on historical events and persons&mdashoften
  2. ^ "F-14 Tomcat fighter U. S. Navy Fact File. " United States Navy, 5 July 2003. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. F-14 Tomcat fighter Retrieved: 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  3. ^ Barisic, Sonja. "Navy's Iconic 'Top Gun' jet makes Ceremonial Final Flight, with 1 Hitch. " Associated Press, 22 September 2006. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [1] Retrieved: 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Read full version here.
  4. ^ Woolridge, Capt. E. T. , ed. Into the Jet Age: Conflict and Change in Naval Aviation 1945-1975, an Oral History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1995. Note: Admiral Thomas F. Connolly wrote the chapter, "The TFX - One Fighter For All", in Into the Jet Age. . . .
  5. ^ Spick 2000, p. 112.
  6. ^ Gunston and Spick 1983, p. 112.
  7. ^ a b Jenkins, Dennis R. F/A-18 Hornet: A Navy Success Story. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. ISBN 0-07-134696-1.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Grumman F-14A Tomcat page, Joe Baugher, February 13, 2000. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
  9. ^ a b c Donald, David. "Northrop Grumman F-14 Tomcat, US Navy today". Warplanes of the Fleet. AIRtime Publishing Inc, 2004. ISBN 1-880588-81-1.
  10. ^ a b c "F-14A Tomcat Described / F-14 Tarps", Vectorsite. net, 1 November 2006. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  11. ^ a b c d "Bombcat / Tomcat In Service 1992:2005", Vectorsite. net, 1 November 2006. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  12. ^ a b Dorr 1991, p. 50.
  13. ^ a b Sgarlato 1988, p. 40-46.
  14. ^ Spick 2000
  15. ^ Dorr 1991, p. 51.
  16. ^ Gunston and Spick 1983, p. 66.
  17. ^ TARPS Pod for F-14, J Baugher, February 13, 2000. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
  18. ^ Baugher, Joe. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, 30 September 2006. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved: 7 January 2007. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  19. ^ "U.S. Navy's F-14D Tomcats Gain JDAM Capability." Navy Newsstand (United States Navy), 21 March 2003. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved: 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  20. ^ "ROVER System Revolutionizes F-14's Ground Support Capability. " Navy Newsstand (United States Navy), 14 December 2005. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [2] Retrieved: 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  21. ^ Donald 2004, p. 13, 15.
  22. ^ Squadron Homecoming Marks End of Era for Tomcats. US Navy, 10 March 2006 [3] Retrieved 20 January 2007. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  23. ^ Murphy, Stephen. "TR Traps Last Tomcat from Combat Mission". Navy Newsstand, 15 February 2006. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  24. ^ "Final launch of the F-14 Tomcat"
  25. ^ a b Vanden Brook, Tom. "Navy retires F-14, the Coolest of Cold Warriors". USA Today, 22 September 2006. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved: 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  26. ^ Tiernan, Bill. "F-14's Final Flight." Virginian-Pilot, 23 September 2006. The Virginian-Pilot is a daily Newspaper based in Norfolk Virginia and serving southeastern Virginia, Virginia's Eastern Shore Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  27. ^ a b "Pentagon shreds F-14s to keep parts from enemies", AP, 2 July 2007. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  28. ^ US halts sale of F-14 jet parts
  29. ^ Middle East Military Balance:Iran Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University 21 February 2006. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved 11 April 2008
  30. ^ a b c F-14 Bureau Numbers
  31. ^ a b Anft, Torsten. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Grumman Memorial Park. Home of M. A. T. S. Retrieved: 28 December 2006.
  32. ^ Anft, Torsent. "F-14 Crashes sorted by Date." Home of M. A. T. S. Retrieved: 1 January 2008. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  33. ^ Spick 2000, p. 75-79
  34. ^ a b F-14 Tomcat variants. GlobalSecurity.org. GlobalSecurityorg, launched in 2000 is a Public policy organization whose mission is to be a reliable source of background information and developing News stories Retrieved: 20 September 2006. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  35. ^ a b Anft, Torsent. "F-14 Bureau Numbers." Home of M. A. T. S. Retrieved: 30 September 2006. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  36. ^ Cheney Aims Barrage at F-14D Calls keeping jet a jobs program; By Stephanie Saul. Newsday Washington Bureau. Newsday. Long Island, N. Y. : Aug 24, 1989. pg. 06.
  37. ^ Cooper, Tom and Davey, Chris. Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat (Osprey Combat Aircraft No. 49). London: Osprey, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-787-5.
  38. ^ U.S. Navy file
  39. ^ M.A.T.S.
  40. ^ Kawamori, Shoji. Shoji Kawamori Macross Design Works, Tokyo: Movic, 2001. ISBN 4-89601-512-6.
  41. ^ Editors of Koku Fan. F-14 Tomcat. Tokyo: Bunrindo, 2004.
  42. ^ Down, John. Open Democracy opendemocracy. net, Retrieved: 25 July 2006. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Bibliography

External links

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