Grumman F-14 Tomcat vol2 - WalkAround

Grumman F-14 Tomcat
Country	USA
Type	Variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft
First flight	21 December 1970
Built	712

Photo gallery of a Grumman F-14 Tomcat, The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft.

Source: Wikipedia

Grumman F-14 Tomcat
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	61

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 01

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 03

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 02

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 05

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 04

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 06

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 07

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 08

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 09

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Grumman F-14A Tomcat
Photographer	Cees Hendriks
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	104

Grumman F-14A Tomcat

Grumman F-14 Tomcat Walk Around
Photographer	Bill Maloney
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	30

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Grumman F-14 Tomcat Walk Around
Photographer	Bill Maloney
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	21

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 01

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 03

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 02

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 04

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 05

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 06

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 07

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 08

Grumman F-14 Tomcat 09

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Grumman F-14A Tomcat Walk Around
Photographer	Michael Benolkin
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	65

The King of the Carrier Deck

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the premier air superiority fighter of the U.S. Navy for over 30 years. Developed following the failure of the F-111B project, the Tomcat was built around the massive AWG-9 radar and the long-range Phoenix missile system. Its primary mission: to intercept Soviet bombers hundreds of miles from the carrier strike group. With its iconic variable-sweep wings and twin-engine roar, it became a cultural phenomenon after the 1986 film Top Gun, but behind the Hollywood glitz was one of the most complex and capable interceptors ever flown.

Attribute	Technical Specification (F-14D Super Tomcat)
Role	Carrier-Based Multi-role Fighter / Interceptor
Crew	2 (Pilot and Radar Intercept Officer – RIO)
Engines	2 × General Electric F110-GE-400 afterburning turbofans
Maximum Speed	Mach 2.34 (2,485 km/h) at altitude
Combat Radius	926 km (575 miles)
Main Armament	1 × 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon
Missile Payload	AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder
Max Takeoff Weight	33,720 kg (74,340 lbs)

Design Engineering: Variable Geometry & The Phoenix

Variable-Sweep Wings: The “swing-wing” design allowed the F-14 to automatically adjust its wing angle from 20° to 68°. Forward-swept wings provided the lift needed for slow-speed carrier landings, while fully swept-back wings reduced drag for supersonic interception. [Image diagram of F-14 variable-sweep wing mechanism and flight envelopes]
The AIM-54 Phoenix: The F-14 was the only aircraft capable of carrying the Phoenix missile, a weapon with a 100-mile+ range. Coupled with the AWG-9 radar, a Tomcat could track 24 targets and simultaneously engage 6 of them with Phoenix missiles.
The “Bombcat” Evolution: Originally a pure air-to-air interceptor, the F-14 was later modified (specifically the F-14B and D) to carry LANTIRN pods and laser-guided bombs, turning the aging fleet defender into a highly effective precision strike platform.
Twin-Tail Stability: The F-14 featured large twin vertical stabilizers to maintain control at high angles of attack and during engine-out scenarios, a critical safety feature for a massive aircraft operating off a moving flight deck.

Operational History: Defending the Fleet

Gulf of Sidra Incidents: F-14s famously engaged and shot down Libyan Su-22s in 1981 and MiG-23s in 1989, proving the aircraft’s dominance in real-world dogfights.
The Iranian Connection: Outside of the U.S., the F-14 was only exported to Iran under the Shah. During the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian Tomcats scored scores of victories against Iraqi aircraft, with some pilots becoming aces several times over using the Phoenix missile.
Maintenance Intensive: For every hour the F-14 spent in the air, it required roughly 40 to 60 hours of maintenance on the deck. It was a “diva” of an aircraft, highly complex and expensive to keep flight-ready compared to the newer F/A-18 Hornet.
The Final Sunset: The U.S. Navy retired the F-14 in 2006. Because Iran still operates a small fleet of Tomcats, the U.S. government famously shredded its retired F-14s to ensure that spare parts could never be smuggled to the Iranian Air Force.