If added to the game, I think the F-14D(R) should be represented in its 1993-1994 configuration, just before the Navy decided to integrate the LANTIRN targeting pod into the Tomcat fleet in 1995.
Then, in my opinion, the F-14D(R) (1994) should receive the AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-88 HARM, and AGM-84 Harpoon as outlined in the DO3 proposal of the Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1992, before the extensive military budget cuts pushed by Dick Cheney took effect.
Navy officials argued that the F-14D Pre-Deployment Update (PDU) was essential, and it consisted of software upgrades that would integrate HARM, Harpoon, and AMRAAM capability into the F-14D. The F-14D PDU was divided into three development phases.
As we know, the DO1 and DO2 phases were completed, and the F-14D received those capabilities in real life. Unfortunately, the DO3 phase was never pursued.
Here’s the full excerpt from the report:
Department of Defence Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1992
However, it is known that the F-14 Tomcat prototype (BuNo 157986), also known as “Number 7,” served as the primary F-14D testbed and successfully validated the carriage of Mk 84 bombs and AGM-88 HARM missiles during the early stages of the F-14D PDU program in 1992. The image below demonstrates the carriage of the AGM-88 HARM. I previously bug-reported it for the premium F-14D, but the developers currently intend for the production F-14D to be unable to carry or employ the AGM-88.
Additionally, the GAO report (NSIAD-95-1), Naval Aviation: F-14 Upgrades Are Not Adequately Justified, published in October 1994, states that the Navy planned to integrate AMRAAM capability into the F-14D once its mission computer software had been updated. Since this report was published in late 1994, the same year the AIM-120B entered service, it is reasonable to conclude that the planned capability would have encompassed both the AIM-120A and AIM-120B.
To maintain a believable level of historical realism, the in-game F-14D(R) (1994) should not receive the LANTIRN targeting pod or laser-guided bombs. In exchange, it would receive the three weapons planned under the DO3 proposal: the AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-84 Harpoon, and AGM-88 HARM. This would make the F-14D(R) more distinct and unique compared to both the TT F-14B and the premium F-14D.
Selective realism on the planned weapons/capabilities will be damned when the game already includes the Yak-141 and the F-14A IRIAF equipped with the R-27R1 with FULL datalink capability despite relying on the analog AWG-9. There are already several other examples in War Thunder.
I have updated the weapon specifications to reflect the planned DO3 weapons package.
