F-14 Tomcat: History, Performance & Discussion

“Nope, because we don’t wanna/feel like it”

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Exactly. They’re literally making stuff up as they go along just to not give anything to the F-14.

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It was definitely done, the issue is that this technically occurred later than the arbitrary cutoff ('77 SAC) that Gaijin are using for the “Early” F-14A, in order to give it access to the AIM-9D & -9H (see '74 SAC). We know that the TCS specs at very least predate 1982 (the -A attached to the code indicates that it is the second revision of the document, though I can’t find a date for the initial publication) The ALR-23 IRSTS was optionally able to be mounted so it should have it.

f14-detail-chinpods



As an aside I do think the ALR-23 should be able to be reported for the -14A, as it is present in the following video, which is from ~1974.

365863e6a6e6d63671f86df261f81918714857c4_2_1000x748

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But that would require effort from Gaijin :(

I’m aware that it was deployed in the fleet and began to be specified in the NAVAIR flight manual in the 1980s but, If we can find some docs proving that TCS was tested/installed by April 1977, maybe They can add TCS to the F-14A Early. At least in terms of tested weaponry and functionality, they are somewhat lenient, just like VTAS for Navy Phantoms and the SRAAMs for Hunter F.6.

It is shame that they didn’t add ALR-23 for F-14A Early even if they are completely useless.

Also F-14A late when Gaijin )))))

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It’s not useless, it would make the radar (when within IRSTS’s gimbal limits [?+/- 65 degrees?, seems a little high]) immune to chaff and Notching meaning that you would trade some limitations on tracking geometry for much more reliable Radar missiles (Within 10 Nmi [~18km]), and the ability to passively track off bore targets for Sidewinder usage without relying on the radar.

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Ah btw
MIL-C-85437(AS) was from 25 November 1981 but, not sure I can post it because there is no mention of distribution statements for somehow.

Good to know I guess, I think that that may have been when it went out to tender, since Government furnished Technical data, requires competitive bidding processes in an attempt to avoid single source contracts.

I’m pretty sure that also predates the production of “F-14A+” airframes as well (?'84?).

As per http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_fighters/f14_4.html

depends on how you categorize it;
remanufactured F-14B (F401) demonstrator first flew in '86;

F-14A BuNo 157986
~~
took off on its first flight on September 29, 1986

remanufactured -14A’s '86

The first F-14A(Plus) rebuilt from a TF30-powered F-14A, flew on December 11, 1986

Newbuild airframes, '87

and the first new-build F-14A(Plus) (BuNo 162910) flew on November 14, 1987

Deliveries started mid '88

VF-101 at NAS Oceana, which received its first planes in April of 1988

I gets DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.

Though it might just have been me, use this one instead then;

https://web.archive.org/web/20230410190105/http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_fighters/f14.html

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Digital EIG display on F-14B/F-14B(U)
Degital EIG

VF-11_Red_Rippers_Cruise_2004

Sparrowhawk HUD on F-14B(U)
スクリーンショット 2025-06-14 070020

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Seems Smithsonian has NAVAIR 01-F14AAA-1 from 1986.
Probably, since it mentions “no restrictions on access,” it is probably the only flight manual from the late 1980s that is not under export restrictions.

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jojo-caesar

And the first comment i see (in a serious video not to mention , i mean it’s an attack on an airfield…)
“this plane used to terrorize 12.7” …
Imagine the butthurt!!
This guy is a legend!

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I don’t think it’s the last ones. There are still a couple more. Hopefully this ends before those get destroyed too

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Skill issue comment lol. I do miss prime 12.7 fixed fakour F-14 IRIAF

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if i dont watch it never happened :(

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Very sad moment, but we don’t know that

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Unlikely. Those two aircraft had been parked there for two years. They’re probably just empty hulks whose parts are being used on other F-14s.