Good, that’ll help differentiate the A Late from the B even more. Thanks for the reply!
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Early “bombcat” upgraded for F-14A (late) armed AIM-9L & AIM-7M like F-14B
F-14A could be 12.7 BR same F-14B and higher F-14A Early
F-14A armed AIM-9M like F-14B.
I guess F-14B could get AIM-9M-8 sidewinder and AIM-7MH & AIM-7P Sparrow
There’s the issue of progression in the TT at top tier. Gaijin doesn’t have much incentive to add a Late A to the US Tree if its kit will be basically the same as the B, as they’d be pretty much the same BR; it might end up being made into an event vehicle like the M2KS4/F4FEarly/23MF/Marineflieger.
In my opinion, F-14A fill the gap between F-14A Early and F-14B
2x AIM-9L & 2x AIM-54A stock better F-14A Early
I might hope gajin buff F-14B add AIM-9M-8, AIM-7MH & AIM-7P
In the future F-14B from tech tree change Air-to-Air Missile stock
Current
- 2x AIM-9L & 2x AIM-54C
New
- 2x AIM-9M & AIM-54C
Maybe F/A-18B Hornet from USN
Some A model did.
The F-14A in Top Gun is probably a mid-80s jet, most likely from around 1986. Visually, it’s pretty different from the later F-14As we saw in the 2000s.
It’s got the TCS on the nose, but it’s still rocking the older RWR setup and doesn’t have the ALQ-126 ECM antennas in the glove vanes. So yeah, not a Bombcat. More like cold war interceptor flavor Tomcat.
https://freighter.flyteam.jp/newsphoto/50733/w1200.jpg
The only real visual difference between a late F-14A (around 2000) and an F-14B was the engine. From the outside, they were basically identical unless you were looking at the exhaust nozzles.
Pretty sick, always down for more Tomcats. I think having extra variants of it is acceptable since its a famous aircraft that is no longer in US-use. +1
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Interesting bit of history about BuNo. 158632 — the last F-14A to fly in the U.S.
That Tomcat was built around the same time as BuNo. 158627, which is actually in the game as the VF-1 stock camo version. Both were F-14A-65-GR airframes, and 158632 was the 33rd Tomcat ever built.
As far as I know, that Tomcat served with VF-124 “Gunfighters”, VF-14 “Tophatters”, and VF-211 “Fighting Checkmates.” When the A model was retired from the U.S. Navy, BuNo. 158632 might’ve been the oldest F-14 still flying at the time. That’s kind of wild, considering how early it was built.
Added camoflages to original post
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Rare footage of F-14A late from 2000s.
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+1!!! We definitely need this camo as well
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Unfornaturely, that F-14A is early model and VF-84/VF-103 never had A model that has bombcat/RWR upgrade :/
Some RIO seat upgrades on A model and B model
Some A and B models, all D models got PTID upgrades but , they might be useless in the game.
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A few late A model Tomcats had VTAS integration for the AIMVAL/ACEVAL tests, as seen in the grumman video here, at around 6:58.
the AIMVAL/ACEVAL tests actually directly led to the tomcat never getting the VTAS in service, even though navy F-4J’s and S’s got them at around the same time. Nevertheless, a VTAS equipped A model would be interesting to see in game, perhaps foldered as a kinda side-grade.
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The F-14A being suggested in this section is different from the one used as a testbed during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL program. This version represents the upgraded Bombcat/PTID configuration from the mid-1990s.
Considering the timeframe of the AIMVAL/ACEVAL tests, it would probably make more sense to create a separate suggestion for that earlier configuration — as an addition or variant of the F-14A Early we already have in the game.
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I was digging into some info on VF-154 “Black Knights” and found something pretty interesting.
They did receive upgraded F-14As with the Bombcat/ALR-67 and PTID setup, but it looks like there may have been a mix of upgraded and non-upgraded jets in the squadron. at least until 1996 or 1997.
BuNo 161617
BuNo 160403
Both photos were taken at NAF Atsugi in 1996, but the first one clearly shows the ALR-67 fairing on the glove vane section, while the second one doesn’t have it. BTW, the second photo features BuNo 160403, which was one of the Tomcats involved in the 1981 Gulf of Sidra incident where a pair of Libyan Su-22s were shot down.
Even though they were eventually all replaced with upgraded model, that transition period must’ve been a nightmare for the squadron’s maintainers.
Just imagine juggling parts and configs between upgraded and non-upgraded Tomcats… rough times for the ground crew, for sure.
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Furthermore, while researching the F-14As deployed at NAF Atsugi in the 1990s, it appears that a few aircraft from VF-21 ‘Freelancers’ may have received RWR upgrades.
In the video linked below, an F-14A from VF-21 can be seen with AN/ALR-67 RWR fairings mounted in the glove vane sections.
The aircraft’s BuNo was likely 161284. After VF-21 was disbanded in 1995, this Tomcat did not return to the U.S. Instead, it was transferred to VF-154 “Black Knights,” who remained based at NAF Atsugi, along with several other aircraft.
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