F-14 Tomcat: Sleek, Powerful, and Deadly Star in Top Gun
F-14 TOMCAT
Wing span: 64 feet unswept; 38 feet swept
Length: 62 feet 7 inches
Height: 16 feet
Weight: Empty: 40,104 pounds
Maximum take-off: 74,348 pounds
Speed: Maximum: 1,544 mph
Cruise: 576 mph
Ceiling: More than 56,000 feet
Power plant: Two Pratt and Whitney TF-30-P412A turbofan engines with
afterburners; F-14B and F-14D: F-110-GE-400 augmented turbofan engines
with afterburner
Crew: two
Contractor: Grumman Aerospace
F-14 Tomcat, sleek, powerful, deadly, and the real star of the movie Top
Gun. The F-14 Tomcat followed a history of "Cats" in the military. The F-4F
Wildcat and the F-6F Hellcat that fought in the skies years before the
Tomcat ever bit the air. In the late 1960 's, the U.S Navy decided to decided
to focus on an aircraft dedicated to fleet defense. Grumman had already
begun developing the F-14, and was definitely headed for a "Cat"
designation. The person responsible for this project was Admiral Tom
Conolly, Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Air. The aircraft was dubbed
"Tom 's Cat" long before the official name of "Tomcat" was ever adopted.
(novia.net, 1999)
Overall, the Navy 's Grumman F-14 Tomcat is without equal among
today 's Free World fighters. Six long-range AIM-54A Phoenix missiles can be
guided against six separate threat aircraft at long range by the F-14 's AWG-9
weapons control system. For medium-range combat, Sparrow missiles are
carried; Sidewinders and a 20mm are available for dogfighting. In the latter
role, the Tomcat 's variable-sweep wings give the F-14 a combat maneuvering
capability that could not have been achieved with a "standard" fixed
planform wing. (history.navy, 1999)
In full forward-sweep position,the wings provided the lift needed for
slow-speed flight, especially needed during carrier landings. In swept-back
positions, the wings blend into the aircraft, giving the F-14 Tomcat a
dart-like silhouette for high-speed, super-sonic flight (using Pratt & Whitney
Wing span: 64 feet unswept; 38 feet swept
Length: 62 feet 7 inches
Height: 16 feet
Weight: Empty: 40,104 pounds
Maximum take-off: 74,348 pounds
Speed: Maximum: 1,544 mph
Cruise: 576 mph
Ceiling: More than 56,000 feet
Power plant: Two Pratt and Whitney TF-30-P412A turbofan engines with
afterburners; F-14B and F-14D: F-110-GE-400 augmented turbofan engines
with afterburner
Crew: two
Contractor: Grumman Aerospace
F-14 Tomcat, sleek, powerful, deadly, and the real star of the movie Top
Gun. The F-14 Tomcat followed a history of "Cats" in the military. The F-4F
Wildcat and the F-6F Hellcat that fought in the skies years before the
Tomcat ever bit the air. In the late 1960 's, the U.S Navy decided to decided
to focus on an aircraft dedicated to fleet defense. Grumman had already
begun developing the F-14, and was definitely headed for a "Cat"
designation. The person responsible for this project was Admiral Tom
Conolly, Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Air. The aircraft was dubbed
"Tom 's Cat" long before the official name of "Tomcat" was ever adopted.
(novia.net, 1999)
Overall, the Navy 's Grumman F-14 Tomcat is without equal among
today 's Free World fighters. Six long-range AIM-54A Phoenix missiles can be
guided against six separate threat aircraft at long range by the F-14 's AWG-9
weapons control system. For medium-range combat, Sparrow missiles are
carried; Sidewinders and a 20mm are available for dogfighting. In the latter
role, the Tomcat 's variable-sweep wings give the F-14 a combat maneuvering
capability that could not have been achieved with a "standard" fixed
planform wing. (history.navy, 1999)
In full forward-sweep position,the wings provided the lift needed for
slow-speed flight, especially needed during carrier landings. In swept-back
positions, the wings blend into the aircraft, giving the F-14 Tomcat a
dart-like silhouette for high-speed, super-sonic flight (using Pratt & Whitney
References: Anft, T (1998,November) F-14 Tomcat. www.topedge.com/panels/aircraft/sites/mats/index.htm Barrett, J (1989) F-14 Tomcat. Encarta Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corp. Marshall, C (1989) The Worlds Great Interceptor Aircraft. New York: Gallery Books Unknown (1999, March) F-14 Tomcat. www.history.navy.mil/planes/f14.htm Unknown (1999) Fleet Defender. www.novia.net/~tomcat/tomcat.html Unknown (1999, February) F-14. www.wmof.com/f14.htm