F-14 History and Performance
Lately, we have received a number of questions about the F-14 Tomcat. Since this popular plane is rapidly
approaching the end of its career, we decided to dedicate one installment of our weekly answers to this historic
aircraft.
F-14 Tomcat
How much does it cost to produce an F-14 Tomcat?
- question from Eric
The initial acquisiton cost of an F-14 is quoted by the US Navy at around
$38 million. However, the primary disadvantage of the aircraft is not its purchase cost but maintenance expenses.
As discussed previously, the life-cycle costs of operating and maintaining an
aircraft far exceed the initial acquisition cost. These costs only grow as planes age and require increasingly
more maintenance hours per flight hour. This trend has hit the F-14 harder than most of its contemporaries because
of its complex airframe (including the variable-geometry wings) and harsh salt-air environment at sea. The F-14 is
currently the most expensive aircraft to operate in the Navy inventory, requiring 40 to 60 maintenance manhours per
flight hour. For comparison, the F-18 Hornet requires only 20 hours of
maintenance and the latest F-18E/F Super Hornet requires just 10 to 15
hours. These high maintenance costs played a large role in the Navy's decision to move the retirement of the F-14
up from 2010 to 2006.
- answer by Jeff Scott, 13 April 2003
Does the F-14 Tomcat have a dual control trainer version?
- question from name withheld
No trainer version of the F-14 was ever built. Although the F-14 is a
two-seat fighter, it cannot be flown from the aft seat. Pilot training consists of many hours in trainer aircraft
such as the T-34, T-2, and T-45 as well as in ground-based F-14 simulators. However, the first time a pilot flies
the Tomcat, it is a standard, full-up aircraft just like what is used by the fleet. In the words of one F-14
pilot, "Before flight simulators, they just got into the air and figured it out."
- answer by Greg Alexander, 13 April 2003
What is the highest a pilot has ever flown an F-14 Tomcat? What is the aircraft's absolute altitude?
- question from Mike
We've been unable to locate any altitude records for the F-14, but most
sources list the service ceiling of the aircraft at around 56,000 ft (17,085 m). The term absolute ceiling implies
that a plane is using every ounce of power it can muster just to remain in steady, level flight and has absolutely
no excess power to climb. However, the service ceiling is a more practical upper limit and defines the highest
altitude at which an aircraft can operate and still have the ability to climb at 100 ft/min (30 m/min).
- answer by Jeff Scott, 13 April 2003
What is the maximum radar range of the F-14 in air-to-air combat?
- question from Mohammad Jamshidi
The AWG-9 radar fitted to the original F-14 models and the improved
APG-71 that equips the F-14D are both quoted as having the ability to detect, track, and attack targets at ranges
exceeding 100 nm (205 km). Though it was designed in the 1960s, the AWG-9 has been progressively updated with new
software and remains a highly effective system. This radar gives the Tomcat the ability to track up to 24 targets
and attack any six of them simultaneously in any weather condition. The AWG-9 is also able to detect small
vehicles operating at low altitudes, such as cruise missiles.
The new APG-71 radar was built specifically for the F-14D, the final Tomcat model to enter production. Although
the APG-71 has the same general capabilites as the AWG-9, the newer radar incorporates a number of upgrades to
improve processing speed, signal processor capacity, and mission flexibility.
- answer by Greg Alexander, 13 April 2003
Was the F-14 used in Vietnam?
- question from Abhi
No, the F-14 entered service just too late to see action during the
Vietnam War. Although the Tomcat first flew in December 1970, it did not begin entering service until October 1972
or reach initial operational capacity until 1973. Even so, the F-14 did not make its first combat cruise until
September 1974 to May 1975, by which point the Vietnam War was over. Nevertheless, a few Tomcats did provide air
cover during the evacuation of the US embassy in Saigon in 1975.
But the Tomcat had to wait for its first combat until August 1981 when two Libyan
Su-22 'Fitter-J' attack fighters were shot down by two F-14s from the
carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) over the Gulf of Sidra.
Otherwise, the F-14's success in combat has generally been quite limited, not by lack of performance but by lack of
opportunities. Aside from the Su-22 incident, its only other air combat experience is as follows:
-
10 October 1985: Four F-14s from the USS Saratoga (CV-60) intercepted an Egyptair
737 and forced it to land at Sigonella Air Base in Sicily. The
737 was carrying four terrorists who had hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro and killed an
American passenger.
-
4 January 1989: Two F-14s from the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) shot down two Libyan
MiG-23 'Flogger-E' fighters over the Gulf of Sidra.
-
1989: F-14s from the USS Independence (CV-62) intercepted Iranian
F-4 Phantom II fighters over the Persian Gulf during operations to
protect oil tankers. No shots were fired.
-
January-February 1991: 3,401 combat sorties were flown by 99 F-14s operating from five aircraft carriers
during the course of Operation Desert Storm. Another 781 reconnaissance missions were flown using TARPS
pods. The only air-to-air kill claimed by an F-14 during the conflict was an Iraqi Mi-8 'Hip' helicopter
shot down on 6 February by an F-14 from the USS Ranger (CV-61). One F-14 was lost during the
war after being shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile on 21 January, but the crew ejected safely.
Other missions were often flown to intercept and escort Soviet bombers during the Cold War. The F-14 also provided
air cover during the 1983 peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, the 1986 raid on Libya, Operations Desert Strike and
Desert Fox in Iraq, and over the Iraqi Northern and Southern No-Fly Zones from 1991 until 2003. TARPS
reconnaissance missions were also flown over Grenada in 1983. In addition, the Tomcat has demonstrated its
recently-added ground-attack capabilities in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Additional information of the F-14's combat experience during the Iran-Iraq War is available in a
previous question. Much more detailed information about the F-14's combat history is
also avaliable at M.A.T.S.
- answer by Joe Yoon, 13 April 2003
Related Topics:
Read More Articles:
