I’m just amazed that Gajin thinks the F-14B and F-15A are equal. A FM that blows the Tomcat, a better radar (all-aspect), can carry 4 aim-9M and has 240 standard size CMs in a usable Nato pattern . People often point out the number of flares the F-14B can carry but having 320 or 640 bol pod size CMs that finish burning in like 0.5s and only launch in a garbage rear pattern doesn’t mean much. I fly the av8b+ at 13.0 with 180 CMs and rarely run out.
The F-14B is the only aircraft in the game that strictly uses the BOL pods (unlike the Gripen) until they are depleted, then it switches to the internal dispenser. The sea harrier uses the internal ones first I think. I started to remove the pods so I can use the 60x standard right away. Much better imo.
Gaijin nerfed them because of the Gripen and the F-14B happened to be a collateral damage.
I’m sure they will give aim-9M to the F-14B eventually after seeing the horrible stats but the inertia of Gaijin is annoying. Always reactive, never pro-active.
F-14A is a dead aircraft, constantly fighting 13.3.-13.7 with proper fox-3 and IRCCM missiles. The IRIAF at least has the fakour to get some lucky hits early game.
The truth is that there needs to be at least 15.0 BR, there is not enough decompression at all. While I agree F-14B is not equal to F-15A, it is indeed worse in a lot of ways, but I do think that in a downtier the F-14s were a bit too OP, especially the IRIAF.
There is the “Extended Chaff Adapter” that can be mounted onto the LAU-93 tunnel station adapter in place of the AIM-54. That could provide standard caliber countermeasure capability.
But that isn’t modeled in game as an option, it probably couldn’t be equipt with flares though, it would still free up the ALE-39A for Flare carriage so wouldn’t be entirely useless.
Did they mess with the F-14 radar? im noticing a huge change since last I played, I can’t maintain lock of any target not flying towards me and Fakour 90 and AIM-54A and C kills are way down.
Is it supposed to let you select teammates in TWS? I thought IFF was supposed to prevent this. I accidentally teamkilled several times recently with phoenix’s
Even if the radar prevented you from selecting friendlies, nothing is preventing the missile from confusing a teammate for an enemy what it goes active if the teammate is close to the targetted enemy. Treat FOX3s like FOX2s in that regard. Don’t fire when there is a friendly near your target, also don’t forget to account for friendlies that will be near the enemy when the missile will go active, as you phoenix will take some time to reach a distance at which it can track its target on its own (no friendly near target during launch \neq no friendly near target in active phase).
Grumman’s work on the F-14 series was absolutely shocking. It’s incredible how they managed to take a ten year gap from the F-111’s development to the F-14’s first flight, and all the technological and material innovations in that time, to make a plane that was worse in every way.
