F-14 Tomcat | Tooth and Claw

[@bennybenitez2461]

Was a Tomcat Tweaker whilst serving with U.S. Navy Fighter Squadron VF-32 back in the Cold War Days. Despite being over 33 years ago, I recall the plane systems and troubleshooting them as if it was yesterday.

[@ArmorCast]

Always fantastic to hear from personnel with real experience! I was part way through the application process to be an ABH in the Royal Australian Navy when I fkd up my back in a car accident and had to pull out... That's when I first started KZbin actually

[@slevingaius]

Were the aircraft mechanics known as "Bobcats". I remembered reading from a forum the tomcat was a.... well difficult to maintain due to checklists.

[@patrickmcglonejr8163]

Which boat where you on,? My dad was a yellowshirt on the Ranger.

[@dr.tankenstien]

I did 30 Years USN... Big E, Connie, Kitty, Indy, Vinson, and Truman.... And as far as I can remember the Tomcats Standard Heavy Anti-Air was a 4x2x2 (Phoenix, Sparrow, Sidewinder) configuration. That's what we saw all the time I was on deck... Especially when in the Gulf.

[@corn.c0b7244]

I wonder how much Iran would pay for you lol

[@ceddricc5909]

The f14s design is still unique and timeless Its One of the most beautiful designed jets ever

[@KondorDCS]

Well, it beats the Fail-35's fat piggy design any day....

[@blackout5238]

@@KondorDCS Fail-35 Nice name for them.

[@footmeboiya9115]

f-111

[@ceddricc5909]

Also to those who doubt about the f35 Must realize it is a very capable fighter jet in the modern world f14 is nice and all But don't disrespect the F35 based on misconceptions you've heard about it.

[@hereisaname8567]

@@ceddricc5909 I think it's more of the rnd cost and unit cost and development time, as well as the fact that it basically failed at it's intended role.

[@Orca19904]

When describing the F-14's combat history, you forgot to mention the time a pair of F-14A's splashed a pair of Mitsubishi A6M's over the Pacific ocean. :P

[@cakeman7364]

I loved that movie

[@Orca19904]

@@cakeman7364 Same here, watched it constantly as a kid. It actually came out the same year I was born.

[@lb7144]

That's classified!!!

[@cakeman7364]

@@lb7144 the sekrit dokuments

[@lb7144]

My dad took me to see "The Final Countdown". Those F-14s were the stars of the movie to me. The events of the U.S.S. Enterprise are still classified until this day...lol.

[@wigglewigglevigil]

Video Idea: The F-5 Freedom Fighter’s evolution, all the way up to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

[@ArmorCast]

It's for sure going to be coming soon!

[@jobe_seed6674]

I had the same idea

[@SuicidalRevolver]

Shoutout to Project Wingman for filling that Ace Combat itch PERFECTLY.

[@hunglikeahorse120]

The entire video I had to keep telling myself that it wasn’t Ace Combat.

[@DarthEarp]

I love the f-14, Although i was probably exposed to it first by Ace Combat 5, rather than Top Gun

[@corinthianimperialstudios704]

I see you are a person of culture... I think I was first properly introduced to the F-14 by a friend of mine who got introduced to it by Top Gun, and later went on to play the Ace Combat games. He also led me to playing not only Ace Combat, but Project Wingman (through his love for Ace Combat, he has yet to play it though), DCS (sort of, I have yet to play it but I own a plane in it) and War Thunder (which I haven't touched in months because I have some 600 SL left and cannot afford to lose a single aircraft).

[@morisco56]

I was exposed to it during the iran-iraq war

[@candle_eatist]

HERESY

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Same I never saw top gun til this day tho today is more than haven’t want it yet than to that nobody had it and not being air on tv or cable

[@Chris_at_Home]

I saw my first F-14 in May of 1972 at the Navel Test Center in Paxtuxet River, Md. One crashed with a fatality in July just of shore of the base. I got to see a lot of different aircraft being in land based Naval Aviation

[@iDEATH]

Still one of the best looking fighters ever, too. There are a lot of other fighters that look cool, scary or just plain interesting, but I think the Tomcat is almost an expression of the pure, distilled "fighter", whatever that means.

[@dalewright3667]

I served in Aviation Helos. I have been on Aircraft carriers threw 70s and 80s . Watched them scramble and I even rode backseat cat shot. was fast as fuck What an EXPIERENCE. Intimidating looks awesome weapons load and it intimidated every plane it intercepted. What a great jet.

[@MCF2233]

4:28 While the tomcat did sacrifice some capability in ground attack, it did not sacrifice the capability entirely. The plane could do ground attack but only with dumb munitions like Mk-80 series bombs; Mk-20 rockeyes; and Zuni rockets initially, with guided munitions coming later in the form of paveway series guided bombs being cleared for use for the F-14A and F-14B, while the F-14A(U); F-14B(U); F-14D; and F-14D(R) added JDAMs due to their upgrades over the earlier A and B models. The tomcats "Upgrade program" to use air to ground weapons was not really an upgrade program. It was an overhaul of the poorly maintained air to ground systems (which were poorly maintained since the tomcats were never really sent on air to ground missions before the 90s and crew chiefs sacrificed air to ground systems work to get the planes back into the air for air to air missions), a recertification on the air to ground weapons it could carry from the start, and a certification for new air to ground weapons for the plane like the paveway bombs. 6:15 The F-14 wasn't supposed to use the TF-30s in the first place. The aircraft was designed around using the F401 engine which was the navy version of the F100 engine that powers the F-15A and C as well as early F-16s. The TF-30 has a very similar diameter to the F401 though, which allowed it to become the engine that would power the F-14 when it became clear that F100/F401 production would not be able to keep up with the demands of 3 fighter programs. And even with the F100 only being produced for F-15s at first, i have heard about incidents of the engine backlogs being so bad that the engines would be stripped from accepted F-15s so they could be sent back to the factory to get a new F-15 in an acceptable condition. 8:26 Its debatable that the AIM-54 has never scored a kill in US service. One of the Phoenix shots did pass very close to its target and did directly result in its target crashing due to the target using too much fuel in afterburner while evading the missile to get back to its base which caused it to crash later. From what ive read, the admiral in charge of the naval group that that F-14 was a part of did award the air crew that launched the missile a kill due to the shots direct involvement in the target going down as well. But it was not made official when they returned to the united states since the missile did not impact or detonate on the target to bring it down. The other 2 phoenixes launched by the US failed due to improper loading procedures undertaken by a crew member with no experience loading weapons put in charge of loading the weapons on the aircraft that day (IIRC he was a metal shop guy on his first cruise). The crew member was unaware of the proper loading procedures for aircraft weapons and as such most of the weapons onboard the aircraft he loaded were improperly loaded and either would not have fired correctly or would have failed to fire completely. In the case of the AIM-54s that were fired, their rocket motor safeties were not disengaged and as such the missiles did not fire correctly. 12:16 The F-15 and F-16 don't use the F110-GE-400. The F-16 uses the F110-GE-100; F110-GE-129; and F110-GE-132 depending on the variant and block of the F-16, and the F-15 uses the F110-GE-129 on some foreign variants and the F-15EX. 12:43 The funny thing about the re-designation of the F-14A+s to F-14B is that it happened because of a logistics software change. The new logistics software couldn't recognize the + in the designation so it started randomly sending F110s and parts for them to squadrons that used TF-30s and TF-30s and parts for them to squadrons that used F110s. 13:10 The LANTIRN pod did not replace external fuel, It replaced the weapon on station 8B which is the hanging weapon station on the right side wing glove. The external fuel was carried on station 2 and 7 which are dedicated external fuel tank hard points on the bottom of the engine nacelles. 13:25 Super Tomcat is not a nickname, its the service name for the F-14D just like Tomcat is the service name for the F-14A and F-14B. Also the nickname Bombcat was not an F-14D specific nickname. The tomcats as a whole had the nicknames Turkey and Bombcat. Turkey came about because of the large wing spanning flaps that made it look similar to a turkey flying when it came in to land, and bombcat came around after the air to ground systems refurbishment program the F-14A and F-14B got. 13:38 The F-14 never getting fly by wire is not fully correct. The DFCS (digital flight control system) was built from the fly by wire of the Eurofighter typhoon, but it did not have direct control over the flight controls which makes it not a full Fly by wire system. 15:09 While costs do fluctuate between orders for aircraft, the may 2019 order for Block 3 Super hornets (which are the most advanced superhornets currently) equated out to roughly $51.282M per aircraft. So no, the best Superhornets are not cheaper than $38M

[@ArmorCast]

Point 1: More meant that the Tomcat completely left behind the idea of multirole - it COULD carry a few dumb bombs (in the age of ARMs and Mavericks and such that doesn't really mean a whole lot), but it had to forego the idea of replacing any ground strike platform - the A-6 and A-7 both had to remain in service because the F-14 couldn't do enough to take over, which it was initially envisioned to. The project behind it was initially meant to produce an aircraft that could be some 50/50 air to air and air to ground (like the JSF), but instead it was more like a 90/10 split, if that. We're slightly embellishing for the sake of the video, but you get the idea. Point 3: Talking about official records, that would be counted as a maneuver kill at best. If a hostile rolls into the ground trying to avoid cannon fire, it's not counted as a gun kill, it's a maneuver kill. In this particular case, I doubt it was attributed to the pilot at all, though if it was, it should be a maneuver kill. Point 4: More meant to specify the model the Tomcat used, that FAMILY being shared by the USAF fighters. Obviously they aren't the same between the Eagle and Viper either, but you still say that they shared an engine. Hadn't heard that about the computers not accepting the +, that's a very interesting bit of information. Cheers! As far as fly-by-wire goes, it IS correct that the Tomcat never received it - what you're talking about just does not count, not even as an analog fly-by-wire system. If we're talking about the F-15's Control Augmentation System (CAS), then you could argue that the F-15 has a "fly-by-wire-based system", but as far as the Tomcat goes; no. It never received fly-by-wire. As for per-unit cost, you're forgetting to adjust for inflation.

[@MCF2233]

@@ArmorCast Point 1: The tomcat didnt leave behind the idea of multirole entirely, it only sacrificed some of its abilities to do multirole missions. Remember that at the time guided weapons were only just coming into widespread use and were very rare to use in anything but SEAD which was done by specialized SEAD aircraft at the time. When the tomcat first came out it was just as capable at doing ground attack missions as the other fighters of the time besides the ability to carry bullpups. The primary thing that held the tomcat back on its air to ground record was the existence of the A-6 and A-7. The A-6 and A-7 were tactically more expendable than the F-14 and less important for defense of the fleet. So why risk an F-14 to go blow up that bridge while at the least temporarily weakening your fleets defenses by having an F-14 out in the boonies and at worst lose that F-14 permanently when you could send a cheaper and not necessary for fleet defense A-6 or A-7 out to do the same job. Point 3: I would count it as a maneuver kill as well. My point was more that its a debated thing if that shot resulted in any kill or not. Point 4: I get that, but in the video you specifically state "the F110-GE-400 already installed on the F-15 and F-16" which is not correct. Costs: Yeah, i just re-watched the section relating to the costs and i had misheard what you said. I thought you just said that even modern superhornets don't cost as much as $38M.

[@CHRF-55457]

You can make any plane have the capability for ground attack, it's just a matter if you want the plane back again.

[@direvwade7199]

If and when warthunder adds this the playboy camouflage better be an option.

[@pyencdocde5716]

Probably a pre-order exclusive skin premium ))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[@direvwade7199]

@@pyencdocde5716 well seeing as it would be top tier and they don’t do tops tier premiums the only way they could monetize it would be to be like a 300 GE skin.

[@vortex6818]

I woukd buy the Jolly Rogers skin for 300 GE if i have to

[@jacobrudder7582]

@@direvwade7199 Rank VI, BR 9.7 premium Tomcat incoming

[@direvwade7199]

@@jacobrudder7582 but that would be way too much even for Gaijin with the thing now going against freaking Sabres and MiG-15 which it far out passes.

[@The1trueJester]

Ah the tomcat. Grumman's master piece. Bet you anything the navy's aviators wish they still had her

[@ArmorCast]

I know many who do, but just as many who say the Super Hornet is just better in every way, besides top end speeds of course

[@Loubie2005]

What's the point when they have the Tomcat 21

[@tyvernoverlord5363]

@@ArmorCast There are a few things that Grumman AND the Navy could’ve done better, or done RIGHT by the Tomcat

[@coolgman6986]

My dad loves her

[@ArmorCast]

@@Loubie2005 ST21 was never produced

[@obliviouz]

I think being perfect for a war that doesn't take place is a special type of compliment. The most effective weapons system is one that is so successful that it dissuades enemies from engaging entirely. Long live the Tomcat.

[@MidnightSvn]

Yes, the tomcat singlehandedly intimidated the soviet union into peace.

[@obliviouz]

@@MidnightSvn Hahaha 😅 sarcasm aside (it was MAD that was probably primarily responsible for preventing an all out war), the Tomcat's ability to protect US carrier groups was essential for US global power projection and the resultant Pax Americana.

[@bensutherland5209]

To steal a great line from a terrible move: "She's beautiful in an ugly kind of way." I wanted to fly these so bad and almost joined the navy just to do so. Fortunately the Marine blues looked so good; the Tomcat was retired before I would've gotten to fly it. Shame it didn't get the love a lot of legacy weapons get.

[@spartanx9293]

I put a decent amount of blame on one of the aspects of it's design that it's most known for it's swing wing that thing came with ridiculous maintenance costs

[@NWA744]

@@spartanx9293 That's part of it, but beyond the maintenance aspect, the weapon it was designed to carry became obsolete, and it was a larger aircraft when space on a carrier deck is limited. By the time the Super Hornet rolled around, it could do the same job as the F-14 for lower costs, it took up less space, it was more maneuverable, and it could carry more weapons.

[@Snugggg]

​@@spartanx9293 the F-14 Tomcast guys did a series of interviews with maintainers about just this. Maintenance was a significant factor but there is more to it. The shortage of spare parts was the main issue. due to the Tomcat program funding cuts there were very few spare parts being produced. Each part needing replacement had to first be cannibalized from another air frame doubling the maintenance hours and cost per flight hour. now pare this with the significant physical age of many of the air frames the Tomcat never had a chance. given an even playing field history might be different.

[@project1003]

My father worked for Gould, the company that installed the F-14 simulators/trainers for the Imperial Iranian Airforce. One of my prize childhood possessions is a large IIAF Tomcat sticker that he brought home from Iran in '76.

[@The-ch1rz]

5:36 apparently the Tornado could use automatic wing sweep, but the RAF and other countries chose not to use them except for the saudis

[@wolverine8658]

The german Tornados use the wing sweep system too

[@zulusierra7406]

I do believe the Tornado F3 ADV were equipped with auto wing sweep

[@jmitch1980]

My dad worked on the NavAir supply and maintenance manual for the F14 and my buddy’s dad drove them. A really incredible piece of machinery. The things it’s hard to capture in a video are the way it would make your lungs shake in your chest as it roared by or practiced T&G’s at NAS Alameda and the insanely high operating cost per hour which eventually did what enemy aircraft couldn’t: put it down. Still my favorite of all time.

[@telecleez]

The F-14 is one of my favorite planes in DCS.

[@florence9606]

That Project Wingman promo was super unexpected, but welcome. Its a great dogfighting game that's basically Ace Combat made by lifelong Ace Combat fans. Strong recommend. The F-14 is probably your best bet if you want to go the entire game's campaign with Prez (your voiced RIO companion) in the backseat. Really says how good it is when its still viable from the beginning of the story to the end. I mean, its a challenge at the end fighting 5th/6th generation bosses, but its definitely possible.

[@jaimibingley6056]

Dale "Snort" Snodgrass was also a pilot of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and a great one too.

[@Myname-il9vd]

I owe my love of aviation to this plane

[@chiefjohnson2642]

I love the tomcat.....my heart is with the battle proven F4 Phantom queen of her era

[@imhollywood101]

You had me at "Computer controlled swept wings."

[@Joshua_N-A]

Tomcats: I need maintenance Maintenance crew: *jumps off the deck* JK If only it has LESS moving parts, it would've been a reliable plane with less hangar time. Plus the F100 would've been better than the TF30. They just need to uprate it. Composite materials would've made it more durable. Grumman did had the Model 303F, which is a non-variable geometry wing version of the F-14. Northrop Grumman should resurrect it and give it a low observable design and modern avionics and engines.

[@astoran3147]

"The defense department regrets to inform you that your sons are dead because they were stupid."

[@BenTrem42]

Nice line: *Perfect plane for **_a war that never happened._* ^5

[@gopniksaurolophus6354]

Babe wake up, new armor cast video just dropped! Also funny story: when the F-111s were tasked with precision strike in the mid-80s, they actually ended up going over to F-14 crews asking how to use and integrate PGMs into their mission profiles

[@billythibaud1921]

It must have been the other way around, because the way you describe it doesn't make any sense. The F-111 was used as a strike platform ever since it entered service in the 1960's (save for the EF-111A variant). In the 80's the Tomcat was still used exclusively as a fighter-interceptor, and it was only after Operation Desert Storm that the Tomcats started doing air-to-ground stuff as well (they dropped their first bombs over Bosnia in 1995).

[@gopniksaurolophus6354]

@@billythibaud1921 No I read it an a Navy periodical, I'll see if I can find and link an online version of it

[@P_Mann]

Growing up with Top Gun and Robotech/Macross, being able to interact with and work on the mighty F-14 while deployed in the 90s (CV-62 & CV-67) was a little bit of daily magic. Even with their age setting in, constant hydrolic leaks (if it’s not leaking, it’s empty), and newer F/A-18s entering the fleet at the time, the Tomcat will always be what I think of as the definition of a great fighter.

[@dalewright3667]

Un mistakenly the best looking air superior jet for the fleet. What a ferocious looking aircraft,with her wings folded back! She is loved by millions of sailors!

[@paulc1173]

One major flaw, the Tom / Bombcat, was always apart of the F14’s design, but was selfed do to the bomber / Cold War threats. This was event in the Iraq / Afghanistan wars were dropping bombs and laz’n targets for the F18’s the could not remain on station (F18’s low fuel capacity) and a higher resolution targeting system the early Hornets didn’t have. F14 had a greater capacity to bomb than the legacy F18’s.

[@MD-wn4ui]

New upload on the Tomcat, FANTASTIC!

[@spartanx9293]

9:16 this is not at all surprising variable sweepwings are maintenance intensive

[@johnemmert9012]

The pendulum is beginning to swing back to a peer threat environment. The Super Hornet lacks the speed and the range of more dedicated big air to air fighters or to protect naval assets from cruise missile-carrying bombers.

[@Snugggg]

exactly! the Tomcat out classes the hornet in speed, range, loiter time, payload and weapon reach and didn't need an escort. The hornet is a fine aircraft, but really only good for bombing enemies that cant shoot back.

[@ATankEnjoyer]

@@Snugggg I would disagree on payload, the Super Hornet carries much more and is able to use them effectively. The Block III also makes it better in loiter time and range. Although I would lie if said it isn’t getting long in the tooth. With the AIM-260 on the horizon to be integrated with the F-35, it seems it’s much easier to arm a multirole with a top-end missile and radar system.

[@captainkrazee7726]

Here it is. My beauty. Lol, I saw the clips from “Final Countdown” Nice work Koala. I’m proud to say that this highlights the ups and down of the TFX program to create my favorite aircraft

[@scottygdaman]

I worked with the jolly roger squadron briefly they flew f4 and f14. Might be interesting to look into the f4 wild weasel guys. Now that's crazy What the navy did to get the f14 in part was making sure they got the lions share of the budget over the A F

[@williammitchell4417]

I had wondered if the Cat could have been a Wild Weasel. But we were still using the A-4 and A-6's for that role before we would use it later in the F-18

[@GeorgiaCav]

I was ten when the first Gulf of Sidra incident happened (1981) and two Cats downed two Libyan Sukhois. I immediately got a model (Monogram’s 1/48) and built it and was obsessed from that point on.

[@Khabaal87]

My first ever model kit as a child was a big 1:35 F-14 Tomcat, beautiful machine, painted it black because at that time I was fascinated by the Su-47 Berkut :D

[@cryptonighit]

Americans build it and Iranian pilots had so much fun flying them With incredible stories. One pilot set a world record in F-14 , “ you will break before F-14 dose “

[@papasmoke5279]

Would you consider doing a dedicated video to the AC-130? or the Sikorsky MH-53? Love your content, I'm new to your channel and can't wait for your sub count to blow up

[@ArmorCast]

We'll definitely do one on the C-130 family. May not do a dedicated one on the AC-130 variant specifically, but I'm sure we'll get around to covering the "gunship" concept as a whole at some point

[@tharos]

I see you are also a fan of Final Countdown....'s footage! Nice vid Koala.

[@BigBossIvan]

I firmly believe the premature retirement of this legend was the greatest sign that the US military prioritized corporate favors and greasy deals vs actual merit to do the job. We’ve seen it all the way down to the small arms… Nevertheless, Boeing couldn’t be happier.

[@ArmorCast]

The F-14 just didn't serve enough of a purpose to justify its cost in a post Cold War era. The F/A-18E Super Hornet beats it in the air-to-air role, and the F-14 was never optimised for the role of ground attack, at which the Super Hornet is among the best platforms in existence

[@v8packard]

@@ArmorCast I respectfully disagree with you. The demise of the Tomcat was politics, not capability. It was agenda, not need. I am not going to reflect on the Super Hornet, except to say the Navy put $8bil into the Hornet to get the Super Hornet and it still couldn't match the speed, range, and payload of the F-14.

[@semiedgv]

@@v8packard The Super Hornet simply didn't need to match the F-14. No other country has the range and capability of the US Carrier fleet. The F-14 was built in an era of the Soviet scare. After the USSR's fall the US simply didn't see the need to use the F-14 further.

[@crimsonsnow2469]

Did you know about the WSO called "Goose" which died when ejecting in a fight against Su38s over the Indian ocean? There was a problem with the first generation of the F14 where hitting the canopy on ejection was normal.

[@spartanx9293]

2:25 ah yes the aardvark the Navy hated this thing they didn't think it was a bad aircraft for its role but they did not want it

[@DaYemenball]

Ah yes, the F-14. One of the only jets I knew the name of until middle school. Any jet with 2 tail fins looked like a Tomcat to me, including the SU-27. That’s how iconic this jet is to me.

[@travisrogers5263]

The true final flights weren't at the ceremony, the true final flights came in the following weeks as we sent them to their museums and the desert. I watched 101 leave from the school house because we were already hot on transitioning. No real fanfare just some misty eyed maintainers. Love these jets. VF-31 02-07

[@bennybenitez2461]

Yeah carrying six AIM-54 Phoenix did not necessarily mean six functional AIM-54 missile stations. At best at any time we may have a Squadron plane with maybe three AIM-54 missile stations. But the Russian never knew that. Ha

[@firstnamelastname3558]

The squat it makes while on the cat right at launch point is an awesome sight. Boom!

[@f-35enjoyer59]

Couldn’t see this on the main channel page for some reason.

[@borisxanovavich4466]

Saddened to find no mention of the time when an Iranian F-14 shot down 3 MiGs with only one AIM-54

[@alistairdiren5790]

Well the shrapnel from the first Mig that got obliterated by the AIM-54 where the ones that destroyed the other two Migs.

[@borisxanovavich4466]

@@alistairdiren5790 guy who did it got credit for all 3 kills so it counts

[@PresidentEvil]

hands down the most beautiful fighter jet ever made

[@seancallaway5204]

I was actually introduced to the F-14 Tomcat via Robotech, which was released a year prior to Top Gun.

[@MilkT0ast]

Always loved the flying tennis court. Swat cats, Macross (Robotech) and of course Topgun

[@gigaslave]

The other successor to the F-14 is the VF-1 Valkyrie, although that only exists in Macross, lol.

[@kennethgonzalbo3328]

I discovered F-14 when I saw it transforming into a robot fighting giant aliens.

[@ub1953]

Live close to Miramar then Naval Air station and use to watch endless F-14 touch and goes....mesmerizing !!

[@scottdorfler2551]

By far the most badass looking fighter ever. Looks like Megatrons right hand man. Even today it has a modern look. I love the way the engines are farther apart than the hornets. The variable swept wings are just the perfect touch. Even on the deck it looks like it's dying to fly. The crazy part is it flies even better than it looks.

[@ReverendReverb]

One thing that’s always confused me is how countries number their aircraft (f-104, f-14, f-4, etc.) I know it isn’t random but it doesn’t seem to follow a pattern. Great video btw, I’m glad I found this channel recently!

[@chaos6839]

Nah you're just a time traveller and the f-4 was put into use in 1904, F-14 (1914), F-104 (2004)

[@atticusfelton3151]

There is the century series which covers 101-106 and the teen series which goes 14-18, excluding rejected prototypes (YF-17)

[@direvwade7199]

Koala has an entire video on this on his other channel where he explains the USA naming schemes

[@ArmorCast]

@@direvwade7199 Will be uploading that video (with some edits) here too before long

[@direvwade7199]

@@ArmorCast thanks that video was always a great help. Also do you think we’ll see a video on the century series or teen series as a like summary on the programs and the US’s military thinking/doctrine at the time they created these planes?

[@brandondigiuseppe1111]

It was the perfect jet fighter for a war that never happened! *Begins shaming the flying dorito*

[@chandrachurniyogi8394]

the USN should have sustained operating the naval carrier borne F-14E Tomcat (Block III) multi role fighter interceptor atleast until 2014 . . . because the carrier borne F-14E Tomcat (Block III) multi role fighter interceptor is so much more . . . the naval carrier borne A-6G Intruder (Block IV) maritime multi role fighter bomber best complemented the F-14E Tomcat (Block III) multi role fighter interceptor in more ways than one . . .

[@charleswest6449]

The Navy brass did not like a 2 seater. The F-14 was better than the F-18. It had longer range, it was faster, it could carry more and heavier payloads of weapons, and could track more targets. It was the best fighter in the world for about 20 years.

[@ArmorCast]

Not once the AMRAAM comes into service in ‘92. The F-15 had a better radar set and much higher thrust to weight as well keep in mind, even compared to the F-14B/D, while the F-16, F-15E and of course the Hornet and Super Hornet were always much more capable of precision ground attack (F-14’s didn’t get LANTIRN until 1996)

[@thunderboltcougar5626]

Well that's why Navy assigned F14 as fleet defender (despite they never utilize its aim54 phoenix but in two occasions) instead of F18. Just as they said, today's Rhinos didn't actually replaced the Tomcat as a platform but for its mission profile. Giving the same treatment & upgrades as rhinos, eagles & vipers; Tomcats can beat them all. Well Tomcat already did it back the old days, in a fair A model versus A model 's dogfight, for eagle, falcon, or hornet respectively. People tend to compare the performance between f14 against other (heavily) upgraded gen 4 aircrafts. Even considered the f14 D model as its ultimate variant, which in fact they/Grumman didn't even had a chance to push the envelope of this product. Period.

[@dannyblackwell2426]

F14 Tomcat! amazing aircraft and still one of the best looking. such the shame US retired them.

[@dannyblackwell2426]

@@HowIsAsh oh i didnt know the US did that to their F14s and yes i would have liked to see a updated versions.

[@floppa1-166]

@@HowIsAsh they paid for it and it’s their ‘mainline air superiority fighter’ so….crazy how they even upgrade and overhaul them

[@robshef718]

As Former U.S. NAVY AVIATION BOATSWAIN, SECOND, I worked with the TOMCAT on the KITTY HAWK AND THE SARATOGA. SHE WAS, AND REMAINS "THE BEST FIGHTER EVER" and WE NEED HER BACK.!!

[@rjlarose5271]

Got to help in the decommissioning of one of these in highschool. That plane now sits at Grumman hq on display in my home town.

[@maikerugo]

I feel like it-as well as other 4th gen fighters that came after it-inspired a lot of fictional aircraft designs. I think that most of the jet fighters in Japanese cartoons and shooter titles look like they're inspired by jets from this generation. Furthermore, the styling cues seen on a number of sports and supercars from the '80s onwards pull strongly from this gen of fighter (although models from the 2000s seemingly pull from 5th gen fighter designs; it's hard to see something from Lamborghini's lineup and see a little F-22 in its design).

[@4rsh193]

11:32 how to spot a proper iranian man That mustache Holy shit

[@mobius0245]

0:02 wait what?..F-86 saber is navy? I never see it and heard of it

[@ArmorCast]

Yup, North American developed the naval variant of the Sabre FJ-2 and FJ-3

[@georgecastiblanco2978]

No tengo ni idea cuál fue la verdadera razón por la cual dieron de baja al Tomcat. Hoy día sería un duro combatiente y rival directo para el Sukhoi su 33 o el J 16 chino .además muy completo de razón Irán lo dio de baja hace muy poco tiempo le saco mucho jugo lo remplazara el su 35 en ese país.

[@nasserlavi2474]

My Dads F14A Model persian cats are world record holders with a 37 to 1 kill ratio best of any 4th generation fighter hands down. TIMELESS

[@raymondyee2008]

05:16 OMG *that photo* I heard that Tomcat made an emergency landing at Paya Lebar airbase here in Singapore at the time of the accident (a mid-air collision with another Tomcat).

[@blaircolquhoun7780]

The F-14 Tomcat was developed during the Vietnam War as a replacement for the F-4 Phantom. It entered service in 1972 and was retired in 2004. The only F-14s in service now are those we sold to Iran before the Revolution.

[@mortezaashoury1624]

Thanks The USA, now we need f 16 fighter jets.

[@blaircolquhoun7780]

@@mortezaashoury1624 You're welcome/

[@blaircolquhoun7780]

@@mortezaashoury1624 Tom Clancy's novels, which explored real world politicL PROBLEMS, were well-researched. The Hunt for Red October for example, was based on the attempted defection of a Soviet Navy commissar to Sweden. Red Storm Rising was based on a tabletop board game. He did get the stealth airplane wrong though.

[@ben2741]

Love this bird the best. Nothing will ever replace it.

[@Popesontour]

The F14 is truly a legend! Iran airforce is formidable because of the 14s! And I believe that one of their pilots is an Ace of Aces. He single handedly served it to the Iraqi airforce and their Migs and Sukois. I wish that the U.S. Navy had updated their fleet to the F1421s. The F35 across the board isn't nearly as good.

[@mortezaashoury1624]

Our f 14s today are too old to fight, Iran needs f 16

[@Scoobydcs]

awesome machine!! Love flying it in dcs

[@jub2224]

gotta love jester

[@tingtingnoy3133]

Transformers and every anime plane in the 80's, it was always my favorite of all times

[@L0mbre]

First time ever youtube recommand me a video that as been upload 40 minutes ago

[@elbryan9]

I know it's a fine aircraft and I know it's an irrational and unreasonable position to hold, but I've always had a strong resentment toward the F/A-18 Hornet for it's role in supplanting and ultimately retiring the F-14. I just hold the F-14 in such high regard and hate that it's no longer in U.S. service. I never got to fly one (my piss-poor eyes eliminated any possibility of that), but I did get to see a few at some airshows when I was a kid. What an incredible jet.

[@comissar]

Ward Carroll, former F-14 RIO, talks about a problem with the Tomcat radar when sometimes a radar contact can seem to jink over your position. This confirmed the second Sidra Incident was an US mistake and the Libian Migs weren't hostile and their radars were cold. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKqwl3ZpgpWZkLM Loving your videos Koala, keep the good work.

[@ArmorCast]

Wouldn't call it a "mistake" so much given Gaddafi's formal threat that any US ships or aircraft caught inside the "Line of Death" would be attacked on sight, and the MiGs were continuing to accelerate directly towards the carrier group. From what we know, it's also highly likely that the MiG's were being intentionally vectored towards the carrier group in order to force an engagement - Gaddafi likely hoped that any US shoot down of Libyan aircraft would shore up local support for his regime... if they manage to bag a US kill, even better. It's a matter of interpretation, but I'd say the Tomcats were MORE than justified in declaring the MiGs hostile at that point, especially after the first incident in 1981, where the Tomcats were actually fired upon.

[@comissar]

@@ArmorCast Thanks for responding Koala, but i was only writing a very short resum about what Ward Caroll explained on his video (I posted the link in my first coment) and what a lot of the fighter pilots felt about the second incident, as he says. In other hand, I think the pilots felt real danger and they acted to protect their lives. Even if it was a mistake or not, as you say the Libians fired upon them back in 1981. Again, thanks for your videos man.

[@MILSIM530]

I'm out of breath ....perfect video📹thanks

[@bloodsongsToolreviews]

No, of there's one jet thats reputation definitely cannot be touched, it's the F15, litterly it's combat record is 170 something to 1

[@josephhardwicke6344]

And the f-15 didn't suffer as much engine failure and is still being manufactured 50 years on

[@NWA744]

The F-14 became obsolete the second the AIM-120 entered service, as part of the planes reason for existence was the AIM-54 Phoenix. They were also big, and deck space on a carrier is a premium, they were heavy, and the fact that they were swing-wing planes made them a maintenance nightmare. The fact that the AIM-120 is fully active radar guided from launch and not semi for most of its flight also meant the navy didn't need RIOs and negated the lesser range drawback. The longer range of the Phoenix isn't much of a bonus anymore when you have to keep your nose pointed at the target for most of the missiles flight, making you vulnerable to anti-radiation missiles. These are just some of the reasons why the F-15, despite only being two years younger, is still in active service and will continue to be for even more.

[@ArmorCast]

The AMRAAM is not fully active radar homing from launch. It has a range where it goes active just like the Phoenix, and until that point it needs a radar lock from the launch aircraft

[@NWA744]

@@ArmorCast Yet the USAF classifies it as an active radar guided, fire and forget missile. Was that a feature of early AMRAAMs or do you have a source for that being present in C and D models as well?

[@ArmorCast]

​@@NWA744 all active radar homing missiles need a hand from the launch aircraft depending on the range to the target. The AIM-54 just like the AMRAAM could go active straight after launch... if you were close enough to the target that it's own radar could pick that target up straight away. Obviously your aircraft's radar is a lot bigger and more capable than the one in the missile, so it's going to detect and track targets much further out than any radar homing missile can. You can launch an AMRAAM at a good 60 miles, but its onboard radar can't find anything that far out. You've got to guide it to the point where its own radar takes over. Now, unlike the Phoenix, you can CHANCE it with the AMRAAM - just launch anyway and HOPE that the target doesn't pull any manoeuvres, that way the missile can pick it back up again once it gets close enough to find it, but there are several reasons you wouldn't want to do that if you don't have to, and if the target changes course at all, the AMRAAM's radar won't be able to see it once it gets in range, because it'll be looking in the wrong spot. I don’t believe the Phoenix could be launched like this

[@jaimibingley6056]

Did you mention the chaff and flares that were used to confuse enemy missiles?

[@MisteriosGloriosos922]

*Thanks for sharing this vid. Liked & subcribed!!!*

[@DTILINX]

A big fat yet aesthetic jet

[@doc_sav]

It's funny that the Tomcat is referred to as "good for its time". In most regards, it performs better than the Super Hornet, including ones that matter for mission availability like range, loiter, carry weight, and recoverable weight. If the Super Hornet is still good enough for US power projection, the Tomcat definitely is. A lot has been said about the higher maintenance costs due to the swing wing, but that likely could have been solved if there was a will to do so, and if not, the increased mission efficiency probably far offsets the additional cost. I still think that an internally modernized F-14 upgrade package would have been an ideal 4.5 gen multi-role platform, and let's face it, 4th gen has remained the tip of the spear as the countries of the world are unable or unwilling to field 5th gen fighters in the types of regional conflicts that have defined warfare for the past 30 years. Unfortunately, the role of politics can't be ignored, and the politicians were convinced to go another way with the help of some smoke and mirrors. And of course, there is the ever present concern of Iran getting their hands on spares and munitions somehow.

[@deltasource56]

Cost fuck cost its still the coolest looking aircraft ever

[@bruhbruh13968]

Honestly bro like we just print the money who actually gives a fuck about cost like just put it on the tab lol

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

Hopefully the advancements made in the F-14 Tomcat helped improve designs for many other civilian jets too...

[@ANADER2003]

I am from saudia Arabia and I am enjoying your videos my friend 👍

[@jeek3452]

Video idea: Explaining different missile types and variations, like the difference between a sidewinder and a sparrow for example

[@ArmorCast]

Soon...

[@gogopedia]

The most amazing jet fight in 20 century

[@drakko26]

Now why the hell am I hearing the Swat Kats theme in the background?

[@russell33313]

May we get a similar vid on the hunter?

[@ArmorCast]

We'll definitely do the Hunter at some point, I am keen to step into some more legacy tech, so that'll be a really interesting one to cover

[@TheDAWinz]

Can't believe they didn't add this with the MIG-23M, US winrates aren't high enough Kappa

[@mr.harness1444]

US plays in both teams almost every match

[@ryanjonathanmartin3933]

The MiG-23M right now is not at its best. The main problem is that its engine isn't as powerful as it was in real life, so its flight performance suffers. Considering that it was not known to be agile in real life, you can only imagine how much of a brick it is in War Thunder. Honestly, the F-4E is a much better option right now. I don't think the MiG-23M could hold its own against the F-14. Maybe the later -23 variants could in a BVR scenario, but the F-14 has superior maneuverability as well as a higher thrust-to-weight ratio.

[@ryanjonathanmartin3933]

And don't worry I am just as disappointed as you are to see the MiG-23 flight model being as fked up as it is, but it seems to be a Gaijin thing lol

[@foxtrotjulietbravo6167]

Retiring the Tomcat was a mistake. It should have been upgraded to the Super Tomcat. Our carriers are less secure because of the decision to replace it with the F18, which is less capable in the job of fleet defense.

[@Glitch_Online]

when younger... i always saw the F14 and F15 as the same plane.

[@alamo134]

Me too... At least they were born from one project,

[@2511_blender]

I can say Tom Cat is my favorite favorite naval fighter of 20th century.

[@venners4288]

Such a good looking plane. A shame they couldn't justify the money to modernise it, keeping it relevant

[@quakethedoombringer]

Doesn't help that the F 18 Superhornet already fullfills the Tomcat's role without the latter rather large size + increased maintenance from variable swept wings

[@tyrantfox7801]

No modernization could've kept it relevant. Especially when superhornets can do pretty much the same

[@BornIIfly]

You forgot to mention the game which honored the F14-Tom_Cat, „Afterburner.“ 🤓😉😘

[@spartanx9293]

Do a video on the most controversial fighter of all time and one I'm backing the f-35 pretty pleeeeease

[@ulisesvelez5846]

on august.19,1981. two grumman f-14a-tomcat. shooting down two(2) of lybian arab air force. the fighters were two,(2) sulhoi-su-22-fitters. over gulf of sidra.

[@chrismurphy4021]

What a gorgeous aircraft!

[@lazarlazarevic5053]

I just have to say I love your accent!

[@bdbgh]

It has that timeless look with that wing, a shame it had to be discontinued because of the whole US Iran thing

[@ArmorCast]

It was also prohibitively expensive to buy and operate, not to mention upgrade. It was just no longer a needed platform

[@bdbgh]

@@ArmorCast Still would be nice if there was an airshow squadron of it flying

[@spartanx9293]

@@bdbgh would have been cool to see it in Blue Angels livery