F-14 Write-up

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Well after finally getting my computer back and having moved (still in the Free State of Northern California), I have sat down and started write-ups for the F-14 and MiG-29. Before i release these unto the MZML, i want the resident gearheads and editors to look at the write-ups and give editing and corrections so the write-ups look proper when i post them on the MZML, These will not have the game stats, i will add those at later dates.

This is for the F-14, please only reply if you have editing or correcting. I want to avoid adding more to these write-ups then what is needed, these are long enough as they stand. I tried to be accurate as i could, but with what i have at my disposal, its hard to make sure i get accurate results. Arigato for those that can help.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The Tomcat is an aircraft like no other. She belongs to 2 special brotherhoods in aviation. The first is the Brotherhood of the Cold War. She was created with a purpose during the Cold War, she was meant to do a certain duty and with it gone, she has no purpose and so she will be retired. The second brotherhood is the Brotherhood of Variable Geometry. She has a swing wing. Her wings can move forward and back based on the data from several sensors on her fuselage allowing her to have perfect agility every time. The name Tomcat has been attributed to 2 sources. One was the late Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly, he helped the Navy lose the F-111, his callsign was Tomcat. The second is the Navy assigns feline names to Grumman aircrafts, it’s a tradition thing.

Interesting to note about the F-14 is she was created because of a mistake. When Kennedy became president, his Sec. of Defense was a guy called McNamara. Well when he came in, the Air Force was looking for a tactical fighter to do nuclear strike missions. One of the requirements was the plane have a swing wing. The Air Force was interested in this concept and decided to bypass the whole long process of during research, let the companies do it for you. The Navy was looking for its next fighter, the Phantom needed to be replaced soon. Well McNamara had a brilliant idea, take these two requests and combine them into one. Well things pretty much went downhill and with one mistake after another from McNamara, the end product was the F-111. The Navy was able to get out of this citing several things wrong with this plane, weight and size being primary. The F-111 did go on to serve in the Air Force, but not in her intended role.

Now the Navy lost some big money in this fiasco and they still needed a plane to replace the Phantom. Well Grumman the company that build the F-111, came to Navy with a idea for a the Phantom successor. The Navy liked the idea. Kelly Johnson creator of the Skunks Works for Lockheed Martin had a list of rules for running Skunk Works, the last one was an unwritten one, but it went like this, “Starve before doing business with the damned Navy. They don’t know what in hell they want and will drive you up a wall before they break either your heart or a more exposed part of your anatomy.†Well the Navy was still sore over the F-111, so to avoid the same mistake they did something that would make Kelly Johnson proud. They took what Grumman said they would do and made them stick to it. If the prototype and the production fighter failed to meet the standards they promised there would be heavy fines based on what was lost. Grumman had no choice but to deliver.

Grumman went into overdrive; they were given a short time to get an aircraft, designed, tested, built and delivered. After many days of tests, models, and ideas, they had what they wanted. Test Model 303E was the winning design using the swing wing. Time to refine her, they finished a flyable model, close to the end of 1970, but they needed to have a flight before the end of the year due to the contract with the Navy. As the end of December approached, they had to do something; most of the staff had saved vacation time to extend the holiday vacation. On December 21 the prototype took a short flight. Nine days later she took a real test flight and had a problem. Due to some vibrations in the airframe a hydraulic line developed a leak, the plane crashed, but they fixed the problem by clamping the line.

After that was all the testing and fine tuning for the final product. Fourteen prototypes were used. In then end the F-14 was delivered to the Navy 51 months after contract signature.

Due to a contract obligation the Tomcats were fitted with the TF30 engines. It’s a good engine for afterburning, but in a dogfight environment they were a pain. Turbine blade cracking and compressor stalls were common resulting in several loss of aircraft incidents. Grumman was on top of it. The F-14 entered service in 1972, in ’73 they were looking at new engines. The F401-400 engines were tested and they weren’t good enough for replacement. The F-14B prototype went into torpor. Early in 1981 she was reawaken with F101DFE, they were good, too good, the kitten had claws. For some reason the Navy wasn’t up with it and by September the F-14B was back in torpor. July 1984 was her last trip out. Equipped with the F110-GE-400 engines she generated results that gave Grumman the OK to build the new aircraft, during these tests additional upgrades were done was well. Rather then call the plane the F-14B she was called the F-14A+. The planes were built in 1987; in May of 1991 the Navy changed the designation from F-14A+ to F-14B.

As the F-14B was being built Grumman was already making more upgrades for the F-14D (the F-14C never really came about, but upgrades planned for it, they were included with the D). However it was an uphill for Grumman to get the Navy to accept the F-14D. In aircraft building there are bigger companies with the cash to persuade the mover and shakers. The light fighter lobby was winning. But the Navy allowed Grumman to make F-14D’s but for a short time. Starting in 1990, the F-14D was laid to rest in 1992. The replacement to this amazing aircraft was the smaller, lighter fighter, the F/A-18 Hornet.

Like many aircraft Grumman tied to garner export sales. They were several attempts, but they fell though at the last minute. Then the Shah of Iran however was in US at one point needed a plane to help defend his country from Soviet flyovers in their Mach 3 plane. The decision came to a fly-off. The F-14 versus the F-15 Eagle. The F-14 won. All but one of the F-14’s ordered (the last one wasn’t delivered since the revolution happened before shipping) were sent to Iran and several workers for Grumman went as well to provide training for flight and maintenance. Shortly after, the Islamic revolution happened. With Iran becoming an enemy, the Navy had to do some changes to the AWG-9 and the Phoenix so if the secrets were leaked (read Soviets) they would be useless. It is believed that a few of the Phoenix missiles in Iran’s possession were sent to the Soviet Union (the rumor has never been proved nor disproved). Another rumor was the sabotage of certain parts of the F-14 by Grumman engineers (again no proof has ever been presented). But the Iranian Tomcats fly still, however with nearly 30+ years on those airframes they won’t be flying much longer. It is believed that about maybe 20 still fly while the rest are used as parts planes, since there is no way to get replacement parts for the Iranian F-14. Also it is believed that the Soviets have been upgrading these F-14’s.

Stats to be posted

The F-14 came into its creation during the Cold War. The Cold War was the tense stance between the West and East, mainly the USA and the USSR. Both pushed tech to its limits in a bid to be on top if they decided to make the Cold War a hot war. The battle on the seas was turning against the US. The Russians were getting better in missile tech then we were (that changed later) and carrier groups might not be protected as well against these. The main role of the F-14 was to intercept bomber groups with these missiles and in some cases intercept the missiles. The F-14 weapon for this, the Phoenix with the AWG-9. The AWG-9 gave the F-14 the longest radar detection range of any aircraft to date, later it was upgraded to the digital version and not even the F-14 could use the extended range, the boom on the front of the airframe wasn’t long enough (it got half the range). It also allowed the F-14 the ability to lock on and fire at 6 separate targets (again only plane to have this ability). Along with the Phoenix, the Tomcat had its choice of Sidewinders or Sparrows. The only built-in weapon was the M61A1 20mm gatling gun (also known as the GAU-4 20mm Vulcan).

Later as the tech curve progressed the F-14 got a nickname, the Bombcats. With the use of the LATRIN pod, the Tomcat can drop laser guided smart bombs with the best of them.

As technology got better, the F-14 improved as well. Additional ECM ports, camera system, IR seeker and numerous improvements keep the F-14 at the top of navy fighter aircraft. With the implement of the Hornet however the F-14 has run out of her nine lives. However she still does prove she can still hang in there. Following the attacks of Sept.11, the F-14 still proved she had claws. Before the US could get an airfield close enough to have the Air Force hit Taliban strongholds and Al Qaeda hideouts (till then it was long range bombers), the Navy was given the chance. The Tomcat was one of the first aircraft to start dropping bombs. With her long distance and ability to carry so much munitions, the F-14 can take off, drop bombs and come back to the carrier without needing to refuel, even with targets as far as a 1,000 miles (one run was 1,7000 miles). During this bombing the F-14 gave the Taliban a special present for the 6 month anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the first combat drop of JDAMs.

Today the Tomcat waits for its eventual death. Its successor will be a smaller plane, the F/A-18 Hornet. The debate rages why the F-14 is being replaced by a less capable plane. There is no clear answer, there are many reasons, there is no Cold War, carrier defense can be done with automatic gun emplacements, the small fighter lobby winning are just a few. As the Hornet is being delivered, the F-14 is being retired, the current date for F-14 to be fully retired is 2006. After that most of the F-14D’s will be stored at the Navy boneyard in the 72 turnaround section, meaning if they are needed they can be made flyable in 72 hours.

Macross Zero

The F-14 has made many appearances in movies; its most recent appearance was in a Japanese anime, Macross Zero. However the F-14 in Macross Zero wasn’t a real F-14. Many things were wrong, improper ECM fairings, the wrong ECM fairings, the cans were too short, the chinpod was the wrong kind and other things. On Macrossworld, it started with the resident avian gearhead explaining what was wrong. After a while it was traced to one model. It was a perfect match. The thread for that can be found here, http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...shin's+f-14

In Macross Zero there is also a interesting set-up, the F-14 is packing the AIM-120. Yes boy and girls, the Tomcat packs the AMRAAM. There was once a test for that, but the Tomcat never got the go-ahead for AMRAAM. Now on to stats for the F-14, or more precisely the stats for the F-14 in Macross Zero. Since it’s a combo of a B and D, you can use it to represent an F-14B or D model, just remember if you want to be accurate don’t use AMRAAMs.

Weapons

The F-14 can carry a myriad of weapons, but we shall focus on the most commonly used weapons.

The onboard weapon is the M61A1 20mm Vulcan cannon. In the modern air to air engagement armor is no longer part of jets, so the common ballistic style of choice is HEI (High Explosive Incendiary). However with modern tactics dictating BVR with missiles, the cannon on jet aircraft is used for strafing runs. So a new round was introduced for this. The PGU-28 is known as a SAPHEI (Semi-armor piercing high explosive incendiary). For game purposes the semi-AP is treated as full AP.

The missiles carried on the F-14 are all AIM types. According the US standard for missile naming, the AIM can be broken to; A= Air, I= Intercept, Aerial, M= Guided Missile. The first letter stands for the launch environment, the second stands for mission and the last is the type of vehicle it is. The missiles also have a brevity code, it is alert other craft in the attack area that a certain type of missile (referring to its guidance system) has been launched and you might want to watch out, so it doesn’t lock on to you. The brevity code will be added at the end of each description of the missile. In Macross Zero Shin should’ve done that, but he probably would’ve used the NATO brevity codes. Also the missiles known speed will be included as well.

The AIM-7 is known as the Sparrow. The Sparrow is a radar guided missile. It has been designed for all weather, all altitude use. However the aircraft firing the Sparrow must keep a keep painting the enemy with its radar, to ensure a hit. The Sparrow is currently being phased out in favor of the AIM-120. But the Sparrow will not be phased out until the current inventory of Sparrows has been depleted, so the Sparrow will be around for at least another couple decades at least. The Sparrow version in current use (AIM-7P) uses semi-active radar homing so it should be able to avoid chaff. That is up to the GM, an option is to give a 50 percent chance. Brevity Code: Fox One. Speed: Mach 4.

The AIM-9 is known as the Sidewinder. It uses an infrared tracking system. It is oldest missile smart missile used by the US. It’s been around for over 50 years and has a very good combat record. The current version the AIM-M is an all-aspect meaning unlike early IR missiles, it’s not limited to rear firing lock-on. The newest version is coming into service right now the AIM-9X (the Tomcat does not carry these, but included since the Tomcat can technically fire them). It has better lock-on and targeting, but uses most of the design of the 9M. It also is configured for the JHeMoCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cuing System), meaning that the helmet can used to aim the missile, rather having the jet/missile line up with the target. Like the Sparrow it has the ability to avoid being fooled by flares (9X only), once again up to GM, but more then likely a 50 percent chance. Brevity Code: Fox Two. Speed: Mach 2.5

The AIM-54 is known as the Phoenix. Like the bird reborn from ashes, this missile was reborn into the Navy inventory when the Tomcat took the AWG-9 radar from the ill-fated F-111. The Phoenix is the only long range missile in the Navy inventory. The Phoenix was developed to help with the shooting down of Soviet bombers that might be endangering the carrier fleet and to counter the cruise missiles Soviets might use on the carrier fleet. The Tomcat has the ability to lock on 6 separate targets and fire on them with a full load of Phoenix missiles. This was only done once, according the History Channel special on the F-14, 5 hit dead-on; the 6th was considered a lethal hit. There was one combat firing of 2 Phoenix missiles, but one failed to hit and the other followed the target (a MiG-25) as it went into the ground. The current version of the Phoenix is known as the AIM-54C ECCM/Sealed. With it being sealed meaning it doesn’t need to have coolant run through it, which means the Tomcat has its speed reduced because of that. The Phoenix was retired by the Navy on Sept. 30 2004. The Tomcat shall carry out the service remaining with Sparrows and Sidewinders. Interesting fact, the Tomcats were rarely loaded up with 6 Phoenix missiles. They hit the carrier deck rather hard. Another fun fact with the Phoenix, if doing a max range launch they act like an ICBM, they fly up then come slamming down into the target. Brevity Code: Fox Three. Speed: Mach 3+ approx.

The AIM-120 is known as the AMRAAM. AMRAAM stands for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. It is known to crews as the Slammer. The Slammer can be considered the first true smart missile using fire and forget. It uses an active radar system to lock on and pursue the target. Unlike other missiles which use ECCM to prevent jamming, it actually lets itself get jammed. When it is jammed it locks unto what is causing the jamming and pursues it. It’s called Home-On Jam. The Slammer is currently also the replacement for the Sparrow. The Tomcat is not able to use the Slammer. It was tested once with the Slammer, but it was rejected by the Navy for carry, due the fact the Tomcat was going to be retired soon. In Macross Zero it seems this is reversed and the Tomcat can use the Slammer, so it is included. The current versions of the Slammer are the AIM-120B and AIM-120C. The difference between the B and C is the C has clipped surfaces to allow it to fit in the Raptor missile bays. There have been upgrades to the AIM-120C models, with the current being AIM-120C-7, but no hard data is being released to the public (one known is increased range, but no idea of how much is known). Right now work is on the way for the AIM-120D. Brevity Code: Fox Three. Speed: Mach 4 Approx.

Other stuff

This section covers other stuff for the game, mostly just explaining some stuff about the F-14.

The AN/AXX TCS, is a camera mounted in the chinpod along with the IRST. The camera has a range of 10 miles, allowing the F-14 to visually ID enemy targets, no other aircraft in US service has this ability.

The IRST is a type of FLIR unit. It picks up the heat emitted by objects (thermal radiation). This allows it to pick up even stealth planes, like the F/A-22 Raptor. This unit however doesn’t have the range of its radar system, but it allows the F-14 to use it to look for enemy targets passively. The IRST cannot be picked up like the powerful AWG-9 or APG-71 can. It was built in Mekton Z as nightlights. This was done to show that is independent of the sensor system, despite the fact the radar is in the same location.

Not listed, but of importance they F-14 also can transmit images taken with the TCS and IRST to other Tomcats and back the HQ.

The ECM is a bit fuzzy, the ECM placements was a tough one to figure out since there is hardly any info I could find on them, but it was also what the F-14 had in Macross Zero since it had a ECM placement that did not exist. This is what was revealed when I asked about it on the forums, David Hingtgen is the aircraft god and here is what he said about it.

I'll start with a list of every ECM "bump" possible on an F-14.

Front to back:

1. On the left nosegear door. Rather flat, but large.

2. Directly ahead of the glove vanes themselves (or where they'd be), on each side.

3. Underneath the gloves, but still near the vane itself. On each side of the plane.

4. Similar to above, but a bit more inboard, a bit more aft, and a bit larger, again on each side.

#3 and #4 always go together, thus an F-14 either has all 4, or none.

5. Starboard v.stab, very tiny, on the very rear tip of the top of the fin--just below the red light.

6. Very extreme rear of the boattail/beavertail, next to the fuel dump pipe.

Now, a late F-14A and all F-14B's have all of these except #5. An F-14D has all except 3 and 4. Early A's have none, mid A's have 2 and 6 or: 2,3,4, and 6. 2 and 6 are the most common, anything from 1980+ will have them.

Shin however, has only 4 and 6. 2 ALWAYS occurs with 6, in every one I've ever found. He has an impossible mix, but it matches what Fujimi would have you do to their F-14D kits (asides from #2, which Shin also doesn't have).

Edit to this, ECM bumps #1 and #2 are always together.

As for the actual ECM themselves, according to David, they are mostly jams for radar and missiles. Given the age of the F-14, despite tech upgrades the ECM has been left for the most part the same, it only has a level 2. One thing on the F-14 that can’t be covered by the game is the RWR. That is the Radar Warning Receiver, but if any aircraft is using its radar on the F-14 the crew will know since the RWR will let them know.

Additionally the Tomcat has chaff and flares. Located in the ‘beavertail’ they are in 30 pack bundles totaling 60 (30 of each).

Guess that takes care of it for the F-14. Questions will be answered if asked.

Cruel Angel’s Thesis

Sources

WEBSITES

Home of MATS

http://www.anft.net/f-14/

MacrossWorld

http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/_main_menu.htm

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

FAS

http://www.fas.org/main/home.jsp

BOOKS

The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft

TELEVISION

The History Channel

Modern Marvel’s: The F-14

PEOPLE

Several Members of MacrossWorld (too many to mention)

Special Thinks to:

David Hingtgen

Cruel Angel's Thesis

Edited

Edited again

Edited December 27, 2005 by Cruel Angel's Thesis

[David Hingtgen]

Only thing I would correct is speed of the AIM-54. Most reliable info I've seen is Mach 3.8 initially, going up to Mach 5 terminal velocity. Janes says "Mach 3+" IIRC.

Phoenixes (Phoeni?) going for a max-range launch behave like mini ICBM's---they go WAY high, arc over, then dive down----and so they'll pick up a lot of speed towards the end. An AIM-54 strikes from above. In general, the biggest missiles are the fastest, and the smallest are the slowest.

Also---further research shows than for the ECM bumps etc, #1 and #2 always go together.

PS---just for clarity, Fox One etc do not refer to specific missiles, it refers to what type of missile it is.

Fox One: Semi-Active Radar Guided. So the AIM-4E, AIM-7, Skyflash, R530, AA-10A, etc are all called that on the radio.

Fox Two: Heat-seeker. AIM-4G, AIM-9, Python, AA-10B, AA-11, Matra Magic, ASRAAM.

Fox Three: Fully Active Radar Guide. AIM-54, AMRAAM, AA-12, Meteor.

Edited November 25, 2005 by David Hingtgen

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Thanks for the new info David. Added it all to the post. Didn't know that about the Phoenix missiles. hopefully the brevity code entry is better, thought i was being clear, guess not. Thanks man.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

[eugimon]

not to be a nit pick, and nice write up BTW, no need to use 'of' after myriad.

[Berttt]

Nice effort, however the article doesn't have the right tone that a piece of technical literature should. It is way too subjective and casual.

Technical journalism should be more formal as opposed to the casual approach used above. I realize this is for some sort of game, but the style really made it hard for me to read as appeared to be written by an amateur, an enthusiastic one for sure, but still an amateur.

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Eugimon: thank you, however without of after myriad it sounds strange when said outloud.

Berttt: well i am a amateur and you saw that in how i wrote this. I do see some of what you said but not all of it, then again i wrote this so i will be a bit biased. If you can give some suggestions that would be apperative. I only plan to listen to edits and corrections for a while before i post on the MZML. Please reply or send me a PM, i would appericate the help. Also i am a fan of the F-14 so i probably let a little of my love for the plane take hold in how i constructed it.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

[Spatula]

Only thing I would correct is speed of the AIM-54.  Most reliable info I've seen is Mach 3.8 initially, going up to Mach 5 terminal velocity.  Janes says "Mach 3+" IIRC. 

Phoenixes (Phoeni?) going for a max-range launch behave like mini ICBM's---they go WAY high, arc over, then dive down----and so they'll pick up a lot of speed towards the end.  An AIM-54 strikes from above.  In general, the biggest missiles are the fastest, and the smallest are the slowest.

Also---further research shows than for the ECM bumps etc, #1 and #2 always go together.

PS---just for clarity, Fox One etc do not refer to specific missiles, it refers to what type of missile it is. 

Fox One:  Semi-Active Radar Guided.  So the AIM-4E, AIM-7, Skyflash, R530, AA-10A, etc are all called that on the radio.

Fox Two:  Heat-seeker.  AIM-4G, AIM-9, Python, AA-10B, AA-11, Matra Magic, ASRAAM. 

Fox Three:  Fully Active Radar Guide.  AIM-54, AMRAAM, AA-12, Meteor.

347426[/snapback]

What websites/books do you refer to, to extract this type of information. I love these types of military lingo or phrases. Along side with anything infantry or even police/law enforcement based lingo. <3 <3 <3.

Can I have a visual?

[David Hingtgen]

Best list I've found is here: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/usaf/docs/mcm3-1-a1.htm Also, just listen closely on any military documentary.

Notable is "Rifle" to identify an AGM-65 launch.

Edited December 2, 2005 by David Hingtgen

[Phyrox]

I'd agree with Berttt.

The info is good. The writing is too lose.

After years of reading papers, I still find it difficult to offer specific advice on how to "fix" this problem. I usually say something along the lines of "tighten up your prose." But that might not be very helpful.

First of all, try to eliminate or minimize overtly subjective statements. Aim for it to be more akin to an essay. It will read better and be taken more seriously by its readers.

Write like you are giving a speach, not talking to a buddy.

"...had itchy triggers fingers on nuclear missiles ready the blow each other into oblivion and take as much as the rest of the world they can with them."

^ Again, I cannot put my finger on it, but sentences like this would seem to turn off some serious readers. While sort-of true in a general sense, it simplifies and exaggerates something which most of your readers will already understand (so it is oversimplified and redundant).

Don't think I am crapping on your work up there. It is good. Some decent research and well put together. But you asked Berttt for clarification, and I figured I would add what I could.

Good work.

[HannouHeiki]

The first AMRAAM to ever be fired was by a Tomcat. The F-14, I think, was the actual testing platform for that missile.

However, the missile wasen't deployed to fleet Tomcats simply because they didn't want to spend the money on software....

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Cleaned up a few subjective statements, probably missed some still. Looking better? Going to leave this up a bit longer.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

Edit: None really, just notied i moved up, no longer cannon fodder. Yay!

Edited December 3, 2005 by Cruel Angel's Thesis

[Chronocidal]

Just fyi, I think i can get you a link to a pdf of the F-14D NATOPS manual if interested.. really big file though, and I'm not sure if it's still up. Been pouring over it to develop a flight sim model over the past year.

Edited December 4, 2005 by Chronocidal

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

I'm very very interested.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

[David Hingtgen]

As am I!!!!!!!!!!!

[hellohikaru]

Nice effort, however the article doesn't have the right tone that a piece of technical literature should. It is way too subjective and casual.

Technical journalism should be more formal as opposed to the casual approach used above. I realize this is for some sort of game, but the style really made it hard for me to read as appeared to be written by an amateur, an enthusiastic one for sure, but still an amateur.

347674[/snapback]

Tom Clancy writes like that too so i guess that would make an amateur of sorts.