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Description
| Notes: CARRIER-BASED, fighter with modified phoenix weapon system for fleet air defense, escort, combat air patrol, air superiority, and interdiction missions (2 CREW) . | |||
| Manufacturer: | Grumman |
| |
| Base model: | F-14 | ||
| Designation: | F-14 | ||
| Version: | A | ||
| Nickname: | Tomcat | ||
| Designation System: | U.S. Tri-Service | ||
| Designation Period: | 1962-Present | ||
| Basic role: | Fighter | ||
| Crew: | Pilot & RIO | ||
| First Flew: | 1970/12/21 | ||
Specifications
| Length: | 62' 8" | 19.1 m | |
| Height: | 16' 0" | 4.8 m | |
| Wingspan: | 64' 1" | 19.5 m | |
| Wingarea: | 565.0 sq ft | 52.4 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 40,101 lb | 18,186 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 59,714 lb | 27,081 kg | |
| Max Weight: | 74,349 lb | 33,718 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 2 | ||
| Powerplant: | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A 9A/B 20,900 Lb) | ||
| Thrust (each): | 12,350 lb | 5,600 kg | |
Performance
| Cruise Speed: | 610 mph | 982 km/h | 530 kt |
| Max Speed: | 1,544 mph | 2,486 km/h | 1,343 kt |
| Climb: | 32,500 ft/min | 9,905 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 55,000 ft | 16,763 m | |
Operators (Past and Present)
| USN | VF-1 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-2 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-14 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-21 | Atsugi | Japan |
| USN | VF-32 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-33 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-41 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-51 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-84 | NAS Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-101 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-102 | Oceana | VA |
| USN | VF-111 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-114 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-124 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-154 | Atsugi | Japan |
| USN | VF-201 | Dallas | TX |
| USN | VF-202 | Dallas | TX |
| USN | VF-213 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-301 | Miramar | CA |
| USN | VF-302 | NAS Miramar | CA |
| USN | VX-4 | Point Mugu | CA |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Air Victory Museum | Medford | New Jersey |
| Aviation Heritage Park | NAS Oceana | Virginia |
| Cradle of Aviation Museum | Garden City | New York |
| Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum | Kalamazoo | Michigan |
| March Field Air Museum | Riverside | California |
| Mid America Air Museum | Liberal | Kansas |
| NAF El Centro | El Centro | California |
| NAS Fallon | Fallon | Nevada |
| NAS Ft. Worth Joint Reserve Base | Ft. Worth | Texas |
| NAS Miramar | San Diego | California |
| NAS Norfolk | Norfolk | Virginia |
| National Museum of Naval Aviation | NAS Pensacola | Florida |
| National Warplane Museum | Geneseo | New York |
| Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division | Lexington Park | Maryland |
| Pacific Coast Air Museum | Santa Rosa | California |
| Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum | Mt. Pleasant | South Carolina |
| Patuxent River Naval Air Museum | Patuxent River | Maryland |
| Pima Air & Space Museum | Tucson | Arizona |
| San Diego Aerospace Museum | San Diego | California |
| The Air Museum "Planes of Fame" | Chino | California |
| USS Lexington Museum On The Bay | Corpus Christi | Texas |
| Valiant Air Command Museum | Titusville | Florida |
F-14A on display
Aviation Heritage Park | Cradle of Aviation Museum | Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum | ||
March Field Museum | Mid America Air Museum | NAS Fallon | NAS Miramar | |
NAS Norfolk | National Museum of Naval Aviation | National Warplane Museum | Naval Air Warfare Center |
Recent comments by our visitors
| dre , CA | Dear F-14 Frantics
The TOMCAT is by far the finest plane that ever flew in the Navy.In her haw day she was the best(the f-15 can go to HELL) But has I was saying, I do not think the Navy will ever have a plane as good as the F-14 TOMCAT. When I see pictures of her, it's like your first girlfriend, I don't think you ever forget her. I wish the DAMM Navy would have replace those lousy Pratt and Whitey engines, for GE F100 ENGINES along time ago. They would have a much better Tomcat and would have save a lot of F-14 's from crashing. So please F-14 nut's like my self, the next time you drink a cold one please rasie your glass and give salute to the F-14 TOMCAT. I will. Peace 08/23/2008 @ 19:59 [ref: 22534] |
| dre , CA | Dear F-14 Frantics
The TOMCAT is by far the finest plane that ever flew in the Navy.In her haw day she was the best(the f-15 can go to HELL) But has I was saying, I do not think the Navy will ever have a plane as good as the F-14 TOMCAT. When I see pictures of her, it's like your first girlfriend, I don't think you ever forget her. I wish the DAMM Navy would have replace those lousy Pratt and Whitey engines, for GE F100 ENGINES along time ago. They would have a much better Tomcat and would have save a lot of F-14 's from crashing. So please F-14 nut's like my self, the next time you drink a cold one please rasie your glass and give salute to the F-14 TOMCAT. I will. Peace 08/23/2008 @ 19:59 [ref: 22533] |
| Ramtin Alikhani Iran/Tehran, OTH | You guys are crazy or what?!you took several pictures of the same Grumman F-14 and only two pictures of the Iranian F-14?!If you think you are clever americans, kiss my ass! 11/30/2007 @ 22:48 [ref: 18747] |
| Jimmy Massey \'Be Bop\' Petersburg, VA | Served in VF-21 '85-'89 sure gonna miss the Tomcat. 04/15/2007 @ 09:03 [ref: 16192] |
| Sean \"Maverick\" Buchta Tonopah, AZ | The F-14A is my favorite aircraft of all time and is the best plane in the world. 03/19/2007 @ 06:40 [ref: 15945] |
| Andrew , OTH | I think the F-14 is an awesome aircraft 03/19/2007 @ 02:17 [ref: 15942] |
| Bryce Charleston, SC | Man, I'm going to miss seeing the Tomcat. She was hands down the most beautiful aircraft ever built. I don't think there was ever a plane that looked more intimidating or even looked as fast even just sitting still. That's one American icon ready to have praise heaped upon when historians write her stories 50 years from now. Too bad our inept government won't sell any of them to private rich people who could afford to keep some flying at airshow circuits or better yet sell rides!!! Unfortunately, aside from the ones that have been and are being donated to museums, the rest are going to be scrapped into refrigerators and other appliances. Sad.....just sad 03/06/2007 @ 16:19 [ref: 15798] |
| Robert F. May , FL | Not to be critical of your list of squadrons operating the "MIGHTY TOMCAT" but I happen to know that the following Squadrons made good use of them as well.
VF-11 VF-24 VF-31 VF-74 VF-103 VF-142, My Squadron , THE GHOSTRIDERS VF-143, My sister Squadron, THE WORLD FAMOUS PUKIN DOGS VF-194 VF-211 01/26/2007 @ 23:20 [ref: 15314] |
| N. Wilde Vancouver, WA | Dennis, I agree with you completely on points number 1, 3, 4, and 5. Mostly I feel it necessary to clarify this statement: "and swing wings that allowed it to turn inside of an F-4". How does swing-wings give the F-14 better maneuverability? You are right for low speeds, but not for high speeds. As the wings sweep back the center of lift moves with them and the plane becomes more nose heavy requiring costant downforce from the tail planes. This increases trim drag and reduces pitch authority. The F-14 is also a “lead sled” with its wings back, but at low speed, you're exactly right: the F-14 has the advantage.
Further complicating things is the F-4's J79 turbojets (as apposed to the F-14's TF-30 turbofans). Turbojets are more efficiemt at high speed then turbofans, sometimes by a lot. An F-16 was once built powered by a J79 because of the superior SS performance offered by the J79 over the P&W F100. In the end the extra heat shielding reduced the net gain to near zero, but it did confirm that equal performance could be achieved with turbojets of much lower static rating (the static thrust may have been lower, but the thrust at high speed was greater). All of that is to say that the F-4's engines probably deliver more thrust at Mach 2 then the F-14's TF30s. This, combined with the F-14's poor pitch abilities with the wings swept, could give the F-4 an edge at high speeds when the fight is first joined. After that the F-14's superior low speed maneuvering would kill the F-4 right quick. In the end the outcome is the same given equal pilots, but it's not as simple as it might seem. 09/07/2006 @ 07:09 [ref: 14087] |
| Dennis Pensacola, FL | I am amused that anyone would consider the F-4 a better aircraft or dogfighter than the F-14.
1) The AWG-9 (F-14) was vastly superior to the APG-30 (F-4). -Enabling it to see and engage the F-4 at a range where the F-4 might be able to only see it on a good day. 2) The F-14 had nearly an identical power to weight ratio (A model, and vastly superior in A-plus or D versions) -and swing wings that allowed it to turn inside of an F-4, superior avionics, and the Phoenix missile which allowed kills at distances that no other aircraft could match. 3) The F-4 turned like the lead sled that it was. -The aircraft was never intended to be a dogfighter, and was not originally even fitted with a gun (It got one iwith the E variant). 4) The F-4 was a great aircraft, with a service that greatly surpassed that of the F-14. -As the F-14 was never utilized to the fullest extent of it's weapons system's abilities (Phoenix/AWG-9), and had very few kills. -The F-4 record speaks for itself, in terms of kills and missions -flown. 5) In almost every case that I have known, where the F-14 was beaten, the aircraft was utilized in a manner inconsistant with it's intended purpose. -Such as in combat scenarios where it could not use it's radar and weapons systems to the fullest. The F-14 is not an F-16, but it can outdogfight one, occasionally. If it is allowed to use the Phoenix missile, it can outfight almost any other aircraft with ease. 09/05/2006 @ 12:55 [ref: 14080] |
Recent photos uploaded by our visitors
