The Need for Speed: The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

[@megaprojects9649]

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[@marcbeebee6969]

Simon, the german Tornado jet please

[@kidusabebe6634]

Pls do the su27

[@retsreinyrelgeinthrelaveri1456]

No.

[@MiddleAgedMisfit]

Jet engine thrust is not measured in pound-feet. That would be a unit of torque. Lbf is pound force. Most people would just say pounds.

[@macbomb]

Had to stop at 7 minutes. The TF30 was never replaced by the F401. The 6 missile shot was six Phoenix missiles not short range missiles. Not sure what else was wrong as I stopped here.

[@Evolution_Kills]

I don't care how outdated the Tomcat gets as time relentlessly marches forward, the F-14 is just one of the damn sexiest jet aircraft ever made. When someone says the word 'fighter jet', the F-14 Tomcat is the first one that pops into my head. Love those variable geometry wings; and ditto for the F-111.

[@TheQuickSilver101]

I couldn't possibly agree more with this statement.

[@JohnnyWednesday]

It's not my favourite jet - but it's definitely my second - the stocky core and slender high mach wing profile lend it a wrestlers intro theme

[@tiller6750]

I completely agree. The F-14 is my prototypical 'fighter jet" and it is, indeed, one of, if not THE, damn sexiest jet aircraft ever made.

[@dahawk8574]

Imagine if they had used the Jolly Rogers Tomcats. The movie would have gone supercritical.

[@sniggs101]

I'm torn between the F14 and the British Tornado GR4, although my opinion is purely based on looks and not function. Both sexy aircraft

[@johnhugo886]

When I worked on the F-111, we called it the one-eleven or pig. When they worked most of the bugs out of it, it was considered one of the most cost effective strike aircraft. It could go in alone in any weather and terrain and take out a strategic target deep behind enemy lines. Other aircraft of the time would need multiple supporting aircraft, such as top cover, awacs, ecm, and air refueling aircraft. The 111 could go in low and fast. It could stay in burner longer than most other aircraft because it carried so much fuel. I was working F-16’s as my first assignment and when I got assigned to the one-eleven I wasn’t too happy. In time I really grew to appreciate and respect this aircraft. When I look back now of all the aircraft I worked on my F-111 68-0122 was my favorite! You can see her “Fireball Annie” if you google her by tail number.

[@pamelamays4186]

"This is not a movie appreciation channel." Simon foreshadowing his newest upcoming endeavor.

[@therealNuke2285]

It’d probably get around 6 videos ever

[@charlottehardy822]

Maybe a side project video on the films Simon thinks are awesome. I’d watch it 😂

[@alanngli]

I half thought the channel actually exists given his penchant for creating new channels.

[@computernaut]

My thoughts exactly.

[@FallenPhoenix86]

@@alanngli if it doesn't just give him 15-20 minutes and it will.

[@tgmccoy1556]

My late wife and I knew this couple that looked like the stepped out of an Agatha Christie novel. They had a huge rose garden. They were retired Grumman engineers. I was helping them with moving a desk into their den looking at the wall they had all sorts of awards, pictures, etc. They were in the weapons end of the program. So I asked: "So every time a Tomcat splashed a MiG, you two had something to do with it ?" They both answered:"yes".

[@mcgee113]

Yeah all 5 of them.

[@sultanabran1]

every time a tomcat splashed a mig, you two got it on?. yes.

[@deboraarena5668]

So my dad worked on the F-14 for years. I was an intern when they still had a manufacturing line. It’s crazy seeing the fuselage of the plane with no engines. It’s basically engines with wings. When they retired them from the fleet they invited all of the former Grumman staff to watch a flight exhibition. I have pictures of my kids standing under it. It was amazing. They got approval to do a low-altitude flyover with afterburners and a pull up into a vertical climb. Awesome!

[@SkunkApe407]

I got to work with VFA-213 Blacklions aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt during OIF. I pride myself on the fact that I got to be a part of their final deployment. The Tomcat has always been my favorite bird, and to have a hand in that small bit of history was something I could never have dreamed of as a kid.

[@joshsmyth130]

My dad was in the airforce when I was a kid, I apparently watched topgun everyday on repeat.lol. he worked more with the f18 simulators when I was around. I have a pic of my self at 1 sitting in the cockpit of a f18, and it is still one of my favourite pictures from my childhood.

[@SuperDiablo101]

If your children enjoy aircraft ( especially good ones like the F-14) I'm sure they will remember that for the rest of their lives as no plane will ever win hearts like the legendary tomcat

[@233DDR]

@@joshsmyth130 ^^+1 to Air Force brats watching Top gun on repeat. One of the reason why I have a nephew named maverick. 🤣

[@andrewpizzino2514]

I was there as well. Awesome but wanted to see so much more

[@PantheraOnca60]

Far from being "hopelessly outclassed" by the MiG-17 and MiG-21, the F-4 Phantom was one of the most successful fighter planes ever built. While early models lacked a gun, the plane was extremely fast -- one of the co-founders of the U.S. Navy's Fighter Qeapons School, a.k.a. Top Gun, reported that when he tried to push an early model F-4 to maximum speed, he had to back off due to warning lights indicating that the jet's leading edges were overheating. Later in the Vietnam War, when F-105s were being preyed upon by SAMs and the more maneuverable MiG-21s, a flight of Phantoms was sent into North Vietnamese airspace, their transponders identifying them as F-105s. The resulting air battle between F-4s and MiG-21s resulted in the North Vietnamese Air Force losing 1/3 of their entire force of the MiGs. In fear of losing the rest, the rest of the North's MiG-21s were grounded for the remainder of the war. Having said that, the Tomcat was the sexiest fighter jet EVER.

[@taylorc2542]

The triumph of thrust over aerodynamics.

[@markhamstra1083]

Go back and listen again. What Simon said was “hopelessly outclassed in close-quarters dogfights.” If you engaged a MiG-17 or 19 in a low and slow, close-quarters turning battle while in an F-4, you probably got what you deserved for choosing to fight their fight.

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

@@markhamstra1083 Robin Olds said in an interview that the F-4 could out turn the Mig-21 at low altitude But yeah dont turnfight farmers and frescoes lmao

[@markhamstra1083]

@@IgnoredAdviceProductions Yeah, 21 is a different story.

[@DragNetJoe]

@@markhamstra1083 Even that's not really true. All those soviet fighters had absolutely abysmal flying qualities. The wing may be making the lift but you had to be a wizard to keep it under control. "Close quarter" is a fairly vague description and there are a variety of fights WVR that you can capitalize on the F-4s superior speed and thrust. "Close quarter" doesn't mean low and slow.

[@razorfett147]

The Tomcat will always be the 60s musclecar of fighter jets. No matter how outdated it becomes, it will always be fast and sexy as hell

[@jonathanjuillerat9831]

Along with the 15

[@ridgely1635]

Nah the F4 phantom is the 60s muscle car, the F14 is more like a viper

[@aaronsanborn4291]

The Cat isn't outdated...they just retired the AIM-54 and the cat was the only one to carry it. They could have done a redesign on the Cat for the 21st century but kept it's general characteristics and had the best fighter in the world

[@CromemcoZ2]

@@aaronsanborn4291 I see no way to change F-14s into "the best fighter in the world". Their radar cross section has been compared to B-52 bombers. You could create the world's sexiest Gen 4.5 fighter...but it would also perhaps be the most expensive to operate. Swing-wing planes were a brief fad. They provided benefits in the 60s and 70s, extending the range of flyable airspeeds for large and heavy supersonic planes. But innovations in relaxed-stability and fly-by-wire soon provided similar benefits with less complexity and at lower cost. Designing a wing to support a 70,000 lb fighter turning at 10Gs was already challenging enough. Having that wing also be a moving part was right on the edge of what was possible, even using titanium. Every swing-wing design I'm familiar with ended up unexpectedly costly to operate, due to wear and tear on the severely-stressed moving wing components. From Aerospaceweb: "The F-14 is currently the most expensive aircraft to operate in the Navy inventory, requiring 40 to 60 maintenance manhours per flight hour. For comparison, the F-18 Hornet requires only 20 hours of maintenance and the latest F-18E/F Super Hornet requires just 10 to 15 hours. These high maintenance costs played a large role in the Navy's decision to move the retirement of the F-14 up from 2010 to 2006. - answer by Jeff Scott, 13 April 2003" But they're some of the coolest-looking aircraft ever!

[@CaptainCanadaTV]

@@CromemcoZ2 The f24 isn’t meant to be stealth. Just like the f18. The super tomcat 21 would’ve been a much more capable plane compared to the super hornet. Which is already a very powerful aircraft.

[@ookamiprime6646]

The Tomcat is impressive on film, even more so when seen in person. I got to see one on the USS Constellation pre-9/11. One of the greatest moments in my life. I love this aircraft.

[@seanseoltoir]

Even more so when standing on "Vulture's Row" during flight ops... One of my radar rooms was near there, so I saw them a lot...

[@BruceMusto]

Some of the memories of my life include being aboard a frigate in the Western Pacific ocean while we pulled duty as plane guard for the carrier. Watching Tomcats take off and recover from the carrier, especially at night was always worth a few minutes of your free time. My opinion, absolutely the coolest jet ever built and I'm fortunate to have been able to witness it operate at sea.

[@jimmynickelz]

Uncle was an engineer at Grumman in Bethpage when the Shah came over with his entourage to buy F14s. He is still blown away by the fact that they paid cash for them.

[@anydaynow01]

My dad was a radar / electronics tech at the Bethpage plant, similar story, small world!

[@JamesW81]

Oil money

[@martyconsidine8628]

Was that when the big bills got spent? what was it a $500 or $1000 bill that got spent. Rare flex.

[@katherineberger6329]

Cash that was loaned to them by the CIA...

[@MisterPardner]

Huge mistake by America. Should have never sold birds so iconic and capable to a nation of evil.

[@jstorlie73]

Hi Simon! When referring to the F-111, people just generally say "F one eleven"

[@JohnnyWednesday]

it's probably truer to say it's nick-name is the "F-one eleven" given Aardvark never stuck

[@dahawk8574]

Aardvark never stuck?! It stuck like glue in the US & UK.

[@dahawk8574]

Wait for Simon to do a vid on the F-22 where he will repeatedly call it the... F Double Two.

[@chefjrmz]

I winced every time he said that! My pop was a Sgt in the AF and worked on the 111 and 15.

[@jameshusband3302]

or "The Pig"

[@jackturner214]

The F/A-18 was a joy to fly, but I will always have a soft spot for the Tomcat, as it was the plane that made me want to be a Naval Aviator.

[@twilightgryphon]

Out of curiosity based on your statement, did you get to fly both? Or just the Hornet? If both, I'm curious how you'd compare and contrast the two in terms of how they fly, not necessarily their combat capability, but the feel of either one as they take off, land, turn, speed up, slow down, etc.?

[@jgedutis]

Did you feel the need, the need for speed?

[@jackturner214]

@@twilightgryphon To my mind, the F-14 was always more of a muscle car: heavy, durable, powerful; the Hornet was more of a sports car: sleek, speedy, and easy to fly. As I said, the Hornet was a joy to fly, even if the reason I wanted to go into Naval Aviation was from watching the F-14 in movies.

[@jonathanthink5830]

You won't be the only one. I am sure the Navy got extremely high ROI from Top Gun......... :-)

[@jackturner214]

@@jonathanthink5830 True; and, the Air Force can't beat the CDI factor of Summer Whites!

[@WJV9]

I worked on F4's in the late 1960's and the F4E did have the 6 barrell, 20mm cannon added. It created big problems with radar and other electronics since it sat in the nose under the radar dome.

[@twotone3471]

The F-4 may be crapped on in this video, but remained in service for longer, for more countries, and had a higher number of kills. That the planes you worked on still fly for NATO, South Korea, and Iran says a lot about how good the F-4 is.

[@jefffranklin4894]

Don't forget the F4's M61 cannon pod that sat under the fuselage aswell

[@Yeet42069]

@@twotone3471 How good they became after numerous upgrades* Which this video doesn't dispute, just says that in the Vietnam conflict they were not capable outmaneuvering their adversaries in a dogfight, which is true or there wouldn't have been that many upgrades afterwards.

[@katherineberger6329]

@@Yeet42069 In the late 60s, automatic slats were added that greatly improved maneuverability, but they also degraded speed.

[@derekburt2184]

Sir that’s crazy. Thank you for what you’ve done for the aviation community, the F4 is one of the coolest things ever.!!!

[@33moneyball]

The entire teens series( F-14, 15, and 16) was incredible....the greatest Navy and AirForce fighters ever produced IMO. All were used for decades and manufactured in huge numbers. All continue to be used today though the Tomcat is only in use in Iran. Considering all the prototypes, concepts, curtailed production models over the last 80 years its amazing that 3 consecutively numbered planes were all among the best ever.

[@TheExpatpom]

Hey, Simon. Don’t know if anyone has suggested it before but the story of The Ghan, the railway from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory, might be a good Megaprojects video. 3,000km of railway that took over a century to build… sort of? Seems like your sort of thing. Or do that and the Indian-Pacific Railway from Sydney to Perth and get a twofer.

[@djblc2201]

I’ll second that !

[@bens_gone_nomad5299]

It’s an awesome bit of track iv ridden to Oonandatta track a few times now and done sections of the Ghan service roads

[@rob-muntron]

Great idea! I don't mean to be pedantic, but as a local I have to point out the Ghan is a specific luxury train service - the railway itself is known (more boringly) as the "Adelaide-Darwin rail corridor". Some years ago I travelled from Adelaide to Alice Springs on the same line, but not on the Ghan. It wasn't particularly luxurious, but the views were stunning!

[@podulox]

@@rob-muntron I think Michael Portillo did a show re that for BBC. The whole series is worth watching if you like iconic train journeys.

[@michaelmorrison6540]

My teenage son and I (we live in South Dakota, USA) rode the Ghan from Adelaide to Alice Springs (about half way across the Australian continent) in June 2019. It was a wonderful experience. We were happy to have ridden on that amazing and historical train. We met many nice people from all over the globe. Passengers rent small bedroom suites. Among other highlights, that was the only time in my life where I was able to take a shower on a moving train. Editorial point: thrust is a unit of force measured in “pounds” (not “foot pounds” or “pound feet”)… or “newtons” for those who don’t speak American-ese. Thank you Simon (and your helpers) for your interesting videos.

[@darthsolocup413]

I was in VF-31 the squadron that flew the last F-14D, in 2004 to 2008 so partly during the transition to hornets. The September last flight is more ceremonial date, the actual last flights were more October sending the last ones to storage ect. Loved the aircraft and our whole crew. Truly an iconic airframe. Still miss watching them take off and land.

[@mylescolman8194]

About 2 years ago, coming home to Australia on a Qantas flight from NYC, I met a guy who used to work for Grumman. He was almost a complete looney, but the stories of freedom in innovation and the brilliance of engineering in Grumman and other similar military contractors in the USA were endless and brilliant.

[@osils1]

Qantas dosent fly ti nyc

[@mylescolman8194]

@@osils1 they do, on the 787 via a Los Angeles stopover

[@LERobbo]

The F-14 is easily my favorite next to the F-16. I even have photos of myself as a child just having completed my huge scale model kit of it 🙂 I take it you've seen Maverick by now where the F-14 makes a cameo appearance.

[@pushing2throttles]

Ward Carroll has the best, most comprehensive channel dedicated to F-14's.

[@sledgehammerk35]

Mooch is awesome. Dude gave me a whole new perspective on the premature retirement of the F-14.

[@dakotahrickard]

@@sledgehammerk35 Absolutely. I'll never, ever be a pilot. I'm blinder than a bat, but I LOVE planes, all aviation really. I watch the heck out of that channel, because it's probably the closest I'll get to a cockpit.

[@Akm72]

@@dakotahrickard You could try playing DCS, they have a pretty damn good F-14 module and a module for the F-4E is planned to be released this year. DCS isn't perfect but it's probably about as close to flying a plane that a desktop simulation can get.

[@trueknowledge8334]

Ward also knows what a sidewinder missile looks like, this video shows a radar missile as a heat seeking sidewinder.

[@dakotahrickard]

@@Akm72 I've thought about it. I lack the sight for that. My vision is pretty much non-existent. Still, thanks for the heads up. I wouldn't mind checking out a legit DCS rig at some point.

[@Domazsakalauskas]

Ever since I was little f-14 Tomcat was the epitomy of what a fighter jet looks like. There are a many great designed jets such as f-18, f-22, f-4 and etc. However, there is only one tomcat. The design is just sleek sexy and bad ass (especially when it has it's wings tucked in) And top gun made this jet and Icon forever. Love it!

[@thegunslinger1363]

"I feel the need. The need for speed!" Looking forward to seeing Top Gun Maverick this year.

[@bryannelson8852]

It's gonna be a sick movie, but I'm disappointed that they used the f18 instead of a modern equivalent to the f14 of the 80s. Though I totally understand that the f18 has been the most abundant carrier based fighter since then

[@jamesdykes517]

@@bryannelson8852 ... ... The F35 has been underperforming, meanwhile the F18 Superhornet is over performing.

[@jamesdykes517]

@@bryannelson8852 also, twin engine so the silhouette is closer.

[@JohnnyWednesday]

it's hard to see how it won't be good - any half decent writer on being given the concept should be able to land it

[@JohnnyWednesday]

@@jamesdykes517 - the most practical craft wins out - shame it wasn't something a bit prettier than the F-18 - it's not bad but hardly iconic.

[@MastinoNapoletano420]

Favorite plane ever. My mom bought me a VHS of Topgun and I wore that tape out. We lived in Virginia Beach home of NAS Oceana and several Tomcat squadrons, like the top hats and the jolly rogers. I loved those guys. They were idols to me. I hate the end it had...maybe there might be 1 or 2 in Iran still flying but I doubt it.

[@scruffycavetroll7547]

In a day we will get Simons movie appreciation channel He needs another

[@jo-jobighiker5552]

Well played , Simon! You FUNNY...you funny-man!

[@FUL0H8]

VF-154 Black Knights. I was lucky and got to NAF Atsugi just in time to watch the last of them leave Japan. A heartbreaking moment I’ll never forget. What a magnificent machine!

[@trapperjohn3488]

I was stationed at Nas Oceana for school in the 80s. One morning I got to see a F-14 go vertical immediately after taking off. It was something I'll never forget.

[@timgravierjr.4241]

I serviced these aircraft in the late 90's, and they were awesome machines. Very complex to operate, but when a well-trained crew was in the seats, they could do things no other aircraft could do, and without stealth.

[@nexpro6118]

It went away because of cost. In 1973 the cost of an F14A was 38 million. In 2022 dollars, that is over 240 million per F14A. Over time in 2022 dollars, the cost went down to, 160 million per, F14B/D. Maintenance cost was also insane and Maintenance time. The swept wing mechanism was stupid expensive to maintain to very timely as well. In 2022 dollars, the Maintenance cost for a F14 was higher than the Maintenance cost for a F22 and F35. So this while complaining about the cost of the, F35 I dumb. The F14 was way more expensive but cost is now only on everybody opinion because of social media and everyone thinking that they are experts on everything because of social media. Also, Dick Chaney had a bunch of stock options on the F18s manufacturer. Chaney wanted that manufacturer stock to grow, no better way than to cancel F14 and push full production of the F18 and F18 Super Hornet.

[@grimscott]

ae koo ruuirie

[@DragNetJoe]

F-4s were not exactly "hopelessly mis-matched" racking up an air-air kill ratio of 5.5:1 in Vietnam. Other corrections 8:30 - You got that backwards. Sweep is measured from 0 being perpendicular to the fuselage. Fully swept forward is 20 degrees (for landing, loitering, or maximum maneuverability) fully swept aft is 68 degrees (supersonic flight). 13:19 - That's a picture of a HARM. Really the most impressive part of the mega project is the F-14 went from FSD contract to first flight in just 22 months, and IOC in about 5 years. At the time it was more of a leap in technology than the F-35, which IOCed after 15-17 years (depending on varient).

[@katherineberger6329]

To be certain, it is EASY to mistake HARM for Sparrow.

[@DragNetJoe]

@@katherineberger6329 Yea, but the caption says AIM-9 Sidewinder (which is in the background).

[@EthanGmtDraws]

A Tomcat fan here. Can't get enough of Tomcat docus and videos, but i skip the tom cruise part. Its anime Macross in 1982 as one of the contributor to Tomcats popular. The movie is still 5 yrs away. But just so happen, i drew an F14 with the notorious Mig28 from some mideast AF in my youtube channel flying inverted. Funny how people react if I mention Mig28 as if it really exist. I still have an old cut out page of the Tomcat in a magazine and misplace a promotional " if there were no soviet bomber, fighter... " needing the Tomcat to face soviet threats. 14:25 Thanks for featuring again my beloved Philippine AF. I seen it here and maybe my third seeing the F8 with PhAF markings again in your feature videos. I love this channel. Salute to you. 👍🇵🇭💚❤ Stay safe.

[@woydzeck2]

YES! This is the video I was waiting for. But I would like to mention that an F-15 Eagle landed missing almost the entire wing after a collision mid air, not a Tomcat.

[@DougieDollasX]

That is the closest an F15 ever got to losing an engagement

[@exup18]

Hi, that is true yup but a tomcat did also land with most of it's wing missing.

[@rush1er]

The GI Joe Sky Striker F -14 was an amazing toy to have as a kid. Of course, my Mother thought my older brother and I could share one because the cockpit held 2 Joes.... it took many fights and several black eyes b4 I got my own

[@stm6989]

Brothers are your worst enemy until someone else picks on them. Then you become the wingman!🤨

[@pauldwyer7359]

FYI, I think Grumman holds the record for the MOST of its planes either being featured in the names of movies they were featured in, or essentially being the REAL stars of those movies. The real star of 'Top Gun' was named 'Tomcat,' NOT that other 'Tom' (Cruise). Also, the F-14 was the star of the 1980 Sci Fi / time-travel flick 'The Final Countdown' starring the late Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. Additionally, don't forget 1991's 'Flight of the Intruder' featuring Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, and Brad Johnson, but starring the venerable Grumman A-6 Intruder. Let's also not forget 1944's 'Wing and a Prayer' starring Don Ameche, featuring three Grumman WWII planes, the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat and the immortal TBF Avenger. Remember also that Steven Spielberg's classic Sci Fi UFO film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' opens with the discovery of five TBF Avengers in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico (the infamous Flight 19 which disappeared in 1945 in the Bermuda Triangle). Finally, remember that Grumman's cinematic star power isn't limited to winged aircraft or Earth's atmosphere. 1995's "Apollo 13' featured another starring role for perhaps Grumman's greatest creation (perhaps the last before its merger with Northrop) with the venerable Lunar Module. Quite a record for a small Long Island company that started in a garage in Baldwin...

[@mfree80286]

You missed perhaps Grumman's most successful creation.... the LLV. The very newest ones are 27 years old and yet there are untold numbers of them every day toodling around neighborhoods delivering mail.

[@frankpinmtl]

Did Midway (the original) not have some Hellcats in it?

[@greghavens7679]

Love the Tomcat. My father and I were both honorary members of VF-84. My father was the consultant and maintenance guru for the AT6/Japanese A6M's on the movie The Final Countdown. I was fortunate enough to tag along and assist him during the aerial photography shooting at NAS Key West.

[@pastorofmuppets2349]

Check out the movie The Final Countdown. It has some good scenes with the F14. A high speed low altitude fly by with 2 tomcats in full kill mode

[@BIGBLOCK5022006]

"Splash the Zeros. I say again, splash the Zeros."

[@RCAvhstape]

That movie was fun, but the ending was one of the greatest blueball moments in film history lol.

[@MikeTXBC]

Plus, that movie also had the correct sounds for the 20mm cannon. A lot of movies, including Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, change the sound to something more like a .50 cal.

[@The_Real_Maxajax]

You have no idea how many Top Gun references we make whilst flying Condors, Crows and Raptors in the Faction Wars game mode in EVE Online. Most of the time I'm just flying solo with Danger Zone playing on loop in the background.

[@chrisslky7018]

Standing on the deck, on the foul line, back near the JBD when a 14 would go full burner, is something Ill never forget.

[@PK-kr5bk]

The heat, the rush of exhaust. The smell! The rumbling deck and ultimately the release of the bird. Truly awesome power.

[@RazgrizF14D]

Had the privilege of being stationed on the USS Constellation CV-64 for her last cruise and it was also the last deployment for VF-2 Bounty Hunters with the F-14. When the deployment was over, they began their transition to the Super Hornet. I'll never forget watching an F-14 do a super sonic flyby of the ship during the Tiger Cruise before we pulled back into San Diego. Most awesome sight in the world watching the shock waves hitting the water as the Tomcat flew at 60 feet above the water are Mach 1!!!!

[@SauerkrautIsGood]

2:50 The MiG-21 is anything but maneuverable. It's small and light sure, but it's basically a big flying dart. It's sort of the soviet equivalent to the F-104 - an interceptor that is meant to climb to altitude very quickly and fly very quickly in a straight line towards enemy bombers.

[@uberschnilthegreat22]

Yeah, those big Delta wings bleed a ton of speed so you can really only get one or two good turns in before you're out of energy

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:30 - Chapter 1 - Background 5:30 - Chapter 2 - Development 6:45 - Mid roll ads 8:15 - Chapter 3 - Design 11:20 - Chapter 4 - Specs 12:35 - Chapter 5 - Weapons 13:40 - Chapter 6 - Operational history 15:35 - Chapter 7 - F14S in Iran 16:25 - Chapter 8 - Twilight of the tomcat

[@1248-f8u]

My Grandfather had a significant role in the design of the TomCat. Best naval fighter to ever be designed.

[@jakeh8780]

My pop-pop has a document about him “being instrumental in the development of the engine for the F-15” from a general of the Airforce.

[@StevenLockey]

Movie appreciation channel with Simon would be the shortest channel ever. Not sure what Simon would do after both movies he had actually watched 🤣

[@Badgerofoccam]

It's more of a topic for a video on one of his other channels. Maybe add movies he's seen but hates and we can have a TopTenz video.

[@StevenLockey]

@@Badgerofoccam He'd still be stuck at 3 :) Perhaps we get Danny to write it and force Simon to read a script describing his love for Star Wars and Harry potter ;)

[@jarradblair1793]

Nah basmemt danny scripts most of these videos, and being a nerd locked up in a basment he should have a vast collection of retro movies

[@thetvbaby83]

And his love for LOTR 🥸🤢🤓

[@ShawnMM]

Fell in love with the F-14 as it was the inspiration for the main fighter in SDF Macross, that was part of Robotech.

[@TheToonMonkey]

What kind of monster says "F triple one"? It's 'F One-Eleven' if you have a soul.

[@Quarterbrew]

Loved the video! I served on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) from 1989-1993, and was lucky enough to see both the F-14 and F/A - 18 on the flight line at the same time. While watching those amazing aircraft, I was luckier still to see my favorifte carrier launched airplane the A6E Intruder on deck. The US Navy has had some amazing aircraft, and the crews flying, maintaining, fueling, and supporting them were equally amazing.

[@randyrobertson6116]

I believe it was an F-15 that landed with half a wing. It was an Israeli pilot in Israel flying a practice mission with a fellow F-15 pilot when this occurred. But because the F-15s thrust to weight ratio is so intense he flew it like a missed and was able to successfully land. I could be wrong however, I've just never heard of this happening in an F-14 tomcat, which I love as much as the F-15.

[@TrepidDestiny]

You don't even comprehend the scale of the F-14, pictures don't do it justice. I went to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Michigan, and I was in awe how freaking huge it was. It was just about the same size as the SR-71 it was sitting next to.

[@bigal3055]

The Cold War really did produce some fantastic aircraft. The F-14, the Harrier, English Electic Lightning, Vulcan, B36, 47 and the 52, MiG 25, Victor, the mighty SR-71, A-6, Tu-95...the list goes on and on. Sure, today's modern aircraft are more advanced, but they just don't have the character of those old warbirds.

[@Sturm01]

You left off AC-130, and A-10. 2 aircraft still putting warheads on foreheads today.

[@bigal3055]

@@Sturm01 I left off a lot, mate. It's just a few examples, but I'd be there all day if I were to list all the classic Cold War warbirds that bring a smile to my face.

[@Sturm01]

@@bigal3055 fair point. I'll admit 2 of my 3 faves are WW2 era birds. Corsair, and Spits. The 3rd is the A-10 and that's from seeing them so often from ground while they gave us support.

[@bigal3055]

@@Sturm01 I used to see the A-10s flying over my uncle's place in Norfolk (the English Norfolk, not the Virginia Norfolk). Such a distinctive sound and an instantly recognisable silhouette. There truly were some beautiful airframes that came out of the 2nd world war, but my heart was always set racing by the big Cold War bombers. They just had a brutality to them that has been lost with newer designs. The Handley-Page Victor literally scared me as a kid. Look at one of those head on, they didn't just look mean, they looked down right evil! Of course, the Ruskies are still keeping their Tupelov fleets going and the ever reliable B-52 still has some legs on her for a few more years, but it'll be a sad day for me when those old beasts are put out to pasture.

[@elfpimp1]

I was on the "Indy"(USS Independence) from 86 to 89 as an ABF. Look it up Simon. 😉 And I absolutely lo Ed being next to the Tom's when they launched. I also saw our transition to the F/A-18 Hornet and then the Super Hornet. I was told by one of the Hornet pilots that the designer was inspired by the original Battlestar Galactica Viper and that if you watch it bank as it comes in for a landing, it looked like one. It did.. Dunno if the story was true but it sure made it cool to me...

[@bigal3055]

Given that the Hornet was being designed long before Battlestar Galactica was a thing and first flew the same year it was broadcast, i think he was pulling your pisser there. Still, I'd like to think that the afterburners on the Hornet were activated by a little red button on the joystick labelled 'Turbo'.

[@PK-kr5bk]

I too served during this time as an ABH (tractors) on USS constellation. Fair Winds and Following Seas to the grape.

[@raitchison]

My favorite fighter aircraft of all time. It was arguably the best air superiority fighter in the skies over it's ENTIRE service life. It was retired not because it was replaced by anything better, but because it was expensive to operate and with the USSR gone we didn't strictly need anything that badass.

[@MisterPardner]

It's still the best except for the raptor and maybe the grippen.

[@Jedi.Toby.M]

Ahh, the Tomcat, its like doing any soviet aircraft .... guaranteed to be a highly watched. As always fantastic work mate!

[@jasonjohnsonHVAC]

Still to this day the F14 is one of my favorites jets of all time. Topgun might have had an impact on my feelings of admiration. Still is one beautiful plane

[@Yoda_16358]

My grandfather used to fly F-14s for the navy! He had one somewhat notable accident where the plane started the engines on the runway and they couldn't turn them off, and it rolled off the deck (he and his rio ejected and were fine, although my grandpa landed on a rack of some sort and his helmet had a huge gash in it). It was later discovered that it was a faulty computer or something like that.

[@Hello_there_obi]

The shot of tom walking towards his F-14 was just awesome. Those haunches are like shoulders! That jet just looks so badass.

[@tomcatter2027]

The Tomcat never suffered from asimétrico wing sweep. It was tested only and it flew with no problems

[@michailangelopoulos5602]

When discussing Tomcats, everyone thinks "Top Gun". I think "The final countdown". Excellent aerial footage and great depiction of carrier operations imho.

[@StevenEverett7]

Yup! Splash the Zeros!!!

[@dinomonzon7493]

Too bad the showdown between the USS Nimitz and Nagumo’s Japanese carrier force never happened.

[@StevenEverett7]

@@dinomonzon7493 I was disappointed about that too.

[@ramal5708]

Not only for speed, but it's large payload, great range and electronics at the time were some of the features that needed for fleet defense for the Navy and long range interceptor that do not need to be refueled mid flight every single time.

[@MichChief]

Simon, in keeping with the naval aviation theme, how about a video on the last F4U combat mission. It occurred in 1969 "Football" War between the countries of Honduras and El Salvador. If I recall correctly, the air battle was fought with Corsair's on both sides. I don't think you have done this story and there must be place for it on one of your channels. You know we love our military aircraft! Thank you for all your great work.

[@joshuasill1141]

Both sides used Cavalier P-51D Mustangs, F4U-1, -4, and -5 Corsairs, T-28 Trojans, AT-6C Texans, C-47s, and even civilian air craft strapped with bombs and machine guns. 2 Honduran Corsairs engaged 2 Salvadorian TF-51D Cavalier Mustang IIs which were attacking another flight of Honduran Corsairs. Those Corsairs downed both Mustangs. Later that day, those two same Corsair pilots downed two Salvadorian Goodyear FG-1D Corsairs.

[@gregoryleewalker]

When being serviced on the hangar deck of the USS Eisenhower CVN69, they would sweep the wing tips back over the stabilators to make it even narrower for hangar bay storage. I was around Tomcats all the time walking the hangar deck and flight deck. While aboard I witnessed hundreds of Tomcat launches and traps and it never got old. Go NAVY!

[@am53n8]

For a moment I was worried we were getting a movies appreciation channel next, but then I remembered Simon has more channels than movies watched

[@joshm3484]

That's why he should do a movie review channel. No matter what movie it is, he'd be seeing it for the first time.

[@mikeclarke952]

@8:17 you said, "crews benefited from...", as in Tom Cruise? Ya baby I went there, knocked it outta the park!

[@austinwagner3231]

Simon, I believe your story about the F-14 being "so stable it landed after a mid air collision resulted in one wing being sheered off" (9:15) was about an F-15 Eagle

[@attehosiasluoma3127]

Also might be confusing the fact that the tomcat could land with one Wing retracted and the other extended in emergency situations.

[@javiermoya2801]

The f15 incident you mention occurred with an Israeli F15, the F14 incident was an American aircraft. It is understandable these two incidents can sometimes intermix in memory as they occurred chronologically close to each other.

[@austinwagner3231]

@@javiermoya2801 Interesting, I tried looking up the F-14 one and didnt see anything immediately obvious, thanks c:

[@icecold9511]

That's nothing. An F8 pilot was ready to rip into the ground crew when after his plane took off it handled horribly. Then he shit himself after looking outside for problems. He forgot to fold the wings down. He managed to land though. And the designers were very proud of themselves. KZbin it.

[@austinwagner3231]

@@icecold9511 Thats hilarious! Ill have to look it up

[@lupuirimie1704]

Hi Simon an @Megaprojects! F14 came to Life for various reasons: 1- yes! The F one-eleven was not very suited for the task Navy wanted. 2. F4 was kind of a dog of a plane and needed a replacement and fast. 3. The AIM 54 Phoenix with his Mach5 speed was a formidable weapon, but... the navy had no plane to carry her, and needles to say the avionics on those planes was fairly outdated. The AN/AWG-9 and AN/APG-71 radars are all-weather, multi-mode X band pulse-Doppler radar systems used in the F-14 Tomcat, and also tested on TA-3B. It is a very long-range air-to-air system with the capability of guiding several AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles at the same time using its track while scan mode. Was developed for the Phoenix and to be used on one-eleve. But as the Navy rejected the one-eleven, this highly capable radar landed on the F14. To be fair, F14 was borned because: Tu22M Backfire and AIM54 Phoenix. And it was a highly capable fleet defender. 4. TU22M Backfire! And here you have the number one reason. A heavy strategic bomber, supersonic ( M2,2-2,4!) was the plane capable of smashing a carrier strike group with the KH22M or later MA variant. For strikes on Western naval assets, the Tu-22M2 was linked into the satellite-based "Legenda" system. The Soviets developed two types of spy satellites to keep track of Western naval assets: the nuclear-powered "US-A Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (RORSAT)", and the "US-P Electronic Intelligence Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (EORSAT)". While the US-A RORSAT actively hunted vessels with its powerful radar, the US-P EORSAT located and categorized them from their radio and radar emissions. In either case, the satellites located targets and cued the Kh-22M / Kh-22MA into the target area, where the missile active radar seeker could perform a terminal attack. And now, here you have the reason that F14 appeared and received the name " The Defender"! After all, a poor content on your documentary, with little to none on the documentación work. Just taken same facts from Wikipedia and Google, slapped on some Tom Cruise and Top Gun jokes... and that's all folks!

[@FluxDeimos]

I havent started watching yet, but I've already called an ambulance. I'm going to take a shot everytime simon has a top gun fanboy moment

[@ericyoungstrom5745]

My first command in the Navy was with VF-213 (shown in the video), the Blacklions 1993-96. NAS Miramar, TOPGUN (lol), as well as 2 deployments on the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72. Good video mate!

[@Registered_Simp]

Fantastic video. Just one gripe with it. The F-4 did have a very poor air to air performance in the beginning of the conflict from both the Navy and Air Force. However, this was addressed by both branches very differently. The lack of a cannon has been cited for the poor performance in close-in engagements, and I can't argue that it wouldn't be better for the time regarding ranges under 1200m. However, looking back at studies done and data compiled, the picture becomes very different from the general public perception. The Air Force went with the mentality of "Well, we removed the gun, therefore, the gun is the solution" and did not purchase higher-end versions of the Aim-9 sidewinder, believing them unreliable, opting for just the E model until 1972 with the Aim-9P. The Air Force also did not pursue radar technology as much as the Navy, using the AN/APQ-120 radar instead of the Navy's eventual AN/APG-59. This resulted in the F-4E Phantom. Little effort was put into improving pilot training as well. The Navy decided to dig a little deeper and discovered poor maintenance procedures, and inadequate pilot training as large contributors in many failures. They elected to purchase the Aim-9D and later G and H sidewinders along with improvements in radar technology and establishing the Fighter Weapons School (known today as Top Gun). They did not see the gun as a significant factor. This resulted in the F-4H (more of a testbed) and later, F-4J. The Air Force's kill ratio went from 2:1 to 3:1 while the Navy's went from 2:1 to 13:1. It got so bad that North Vietnamese pilots later in the war were told to "Avoid white jets" due to the lethality of Navy pilots. The cannon was never the issue, though it is nice to have one as insurance.

[@paulmorrow8372]

This is great, but one slight correction. The wing is at 20 degrees when it is all the way forward and 68 degrees when all the way back (you had it backwards). Except for very low speed maneuvers (under 0.4 Mach), the wings in flight would not be less than 22 degrees. Also, the wings could be pushed back to 72 degrees for carrier storage by manually moving an override next to the throttle, but the plane could not fly in this configuration. So the F-14 technically had 52 degrees of wing travel (72 to 20 all the way forward), but in-flight really only 46 (22 to 68) degrees of travel was used.

[@tonk4967]

When the F-14 was first introduced, it weighed about 37,000 lbs empty. Due to the nasty habit of the P&W TF-30s coming apart and spitting turbine blades that could/would FOD the other engine, the engines were encased in a steel shroud that would supposedly contain any parts that were ejected by the damaged engine. This added about 5000 lbs to the weight of the airplane, as it weighed 42,000 lbs when I was flying it in the mid 80's. I also find it humorous when the range of the AIM-54 Phoenix is quoted as being 120 miles. Yes the range between the F-14 and the target might have been 120 miles at the time of launch, but this was a one time very controlled test with very favorable conditions in place to ensure success. The max aerodynamic range of the AIM-54 was approximately 60 miles, and the F-14 had to be at high altitude and going extremely fast to allow the AIM-54 to fly that far. The drone was also going extremely fast (maybe mach 2.0) and was headed right at the Tomcat, and so traveled at least 60-70 miles while the missile was in flight. Additionally, the drone had some type of beacon that emitted a signal that highlighted it and made it appear bigger than it was so the AWG-9 radar and the missile could see it at long range.

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

Hey, would you be willing to talk more about your experiences flying the Tomcat? I'm trying to make a more unbiased video talking about the Tomcats weaknesses and you could really help. Thanks!

[@tonk4967]

@@IgnoredAdviceProductions I would be happy to.

[@craigbryant3191]

The F-14 embodied a fleet defense doctrine that grew out of the late Cold War--the idea was to scramble fighters that would fly very fast, climb very high, and launch lots of very long range missiles at Soviet bombers before they could use their own anti-ship cruise missiles. An absolute beast of a fighter.

[@Daffydrake987]

Great video! But a couple of corrections: 20 deg wingsweep (fully forward) is for slow speed flight, 68 deg (fully aft) is for high speed flight. (As an aside, in the Tornado we didn’t have the luxury of auto wingsweep, fully manual for us) The photo of the AIM-9 Sidewinder is actually an AGM-88 HARM (High speed Anti-Radiation Missile)

[@Akm72]

I believe the Saudi Tornado F.3s did have auto-wingsweep.

[@Daffydrake987]

@@Akm72 To be 100% accurate, all Tornadoes out of the factory have the HLWSCU (High Lift Wing Sweep Control Unit) fitted. RAF disabled it because better performance can be gained manually. I’m not sure what other countries did but I think you are correct about Saudi.

[@Akm72]

@@Daffydrake987 Thanks for the reply. Did the Tornado IDS have HLWSCU module fitted? (Seriously, who came up with that designation?!)

[@Daffydrake987]

@@Akm72 I’d have to assume so, but best to ask a GAF or ItAF pilot

[@batticusmanacleas510]

I never fail to be moved to tears by the poignant beauty of Highway to the Danger Zone. A song as beautiful and tragic as life itself.

[@Bighawkeye46]

Just gonna toss this out there - I would wholeheartedly watch "movie appreciation with Simon"

[@justaghostinthesea]

I grew up with an 80s Jetfire transormer, which was really just a recolored Robotech/Macross figure. I recently learned that the F-14 Tomcat was one of the biggest inspirations for the planes in Robotech, so it's kinda surreal seeing my childhood toy flying around irl.

[@anthonyC214]

Grumman was nicknamed "the iron work" as the Grumman's aircrafts were the best fit for carriers for their strength and durability

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

They were nicknamed Iron Works because the Wildcat and Hellcat could absorb an incredible amount of battle damage but could still fly home

[@jamesstuckey2732]

YES!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE TOMCAT, I've been hoping this would happen for almost a year!

[@ericbunday1699]

While Simon’s summation of VADM Connolly’s feelings on the aircraft is spot on (as always), the admiral’s actual quote about the F-111B is even better: “There isn’t enough power in all Christendom to make that airplane what we want.”

[@Frolaire]

There's a Jolly Rodger F-14 on display at a VFW Post not too far from my house and University, and I've always thought it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I still stop by once in a while and I still think it's amazing.

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

Simply the most iconic fighter jet ever made , and even I have to admit that

[@stephenwest6738]

The Tomcat doesn’t look like a 60’s jet at all. That’s incredible. It had to look to them like a B2 bomber did in the 90’s. It’s also amazing that despite development in the 60’s, most jets that followed seem to look remarkably like it. It’s like the tomcat was the first “modern” jet, despite coming from the decade that gave us the VW Beetle. While Top Gun showed the plane to housewives, every boy had a picture of a Tomcat hanging in their room before the movie. Those turned into posters after the movie.

[@derekmelyndadeckens2982]

We're taking very good care of that F 14 inventory in Tucson. These planes may be making in the desert sun but they'll never rust away. The Pima Air and Space Museum here has a Tomcat on display in case anyone wants to see it in all it's glory.

[@frankkoester257]

As of 2023 there are only eight F-14s left in the Boneyard in a preserved status

[@chrismaverick9828]

To correct you, Simon, Wing Sweep is gauged from front to back. The wings were swept 20 degrees (from being straight out the side) at full extension (forward) and 68 degrees when full back for Mach+ stability.

[@blakjaknz]

Thank you, I thought that sounded weird!

[@chrismaverick9828]

@@blakjaknz The missing wing story, as others have pointed out, was also inaccurate. I love Simon's work, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of doubt and hope he re-records this with corrections.

[@blakjaknz]

@@chrismaverick9828 yep that was an F15 IIRC

[@duaneacarterii]

My dads favorite jet. I was on a tiger cruise on the Ike when the last squadron of f 14 left the carrier and the f 18s started landing

[@CC-EMT-P]

Movie appreciation from Simon Whistler sounds like a channel I'd watch

[@MichaelRacer]

I still think that the F-14 is the most badass fighter jet that the US Navy has ever kicked ass with, and it’s a shame that they retired it when they did.

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

It shouldve been retired in the 80s, it was never that good to begin with

[@Johnnycdrums]

@@IgnoredAdviceProductions ; Ward Carroll disagrees.

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

@@Johnnycdrums Copied from someone else who brought him up: I've been on that video, it's a joke. A design proposal is not a good frame of reference. You sound like those people who say the F-20 is better than the F-16 because it would carry AMRAAMs in service. As for maintenance, you're taking an aircraft with high maintenance requirements as a result of its swing wings, keeping that dead-end feature, adding even more complex technology, and you're trying to tell me it's fixing the problem? This really isn't how you gain credibility. The Tomcat couldn't even justify the cost of upgrading it with AMRAAMs or a 2.5 billion dollar air to ground retrofit. The navy was only allowed to install a LANTIRN pod before it was finally removed from service. The cost of effectively rebuilding the Tomcat would have been monumental, the jet doesn't have a lot of growth potential the same way the other teen series do. And finally, you were talking about the actual Tomcat being superior to the F-35 and F-18 in it's role as a fleet defender. The problem with that argument is that any carrier based fighter can defend the fleet. Sea Harriers managed to effectively defend Britain's carriers during the Falklands war and all they had were Sidewinders. The Hornet and Lightning both have lower radar cross sections, carry superior missiles, have more advanced digital systems, and lower radar cross section. In a hypothetical situation where a carrier battle group was under attack, the F-35 could knock 4 enemy bombers without the escort ever knowing it was there. Even assuming the enemy bombers SOMEHOW got through the AMRAAM slinging lightnings and hornets, they would still come under attack from the escorting ships, and if by some miracle they do survive and launch their missiles, the missiles would have to go through layered defenses as well, such as the rolling frame missile defense, phalanx CIWS, electronic countermeasures like jamming, and chaff decoys. There is no void in the fleet with the F-14's departure. War changes, and the dedicated fleet defender has not been needed since the 80s.

[@nexpro6118]

It went away because of cost. In 1973 the cost of an F14A was 38 million. In 2022 dollars, that is over 240 million per F14A. Over time in 2022 dollars, the cost went down to, 160 million per, F14B/D. Maintenance cost was also insane and Maintenance time. The swept wing mechanism was stupid expensive to maintain to very timely as well. In 2022 dollars, the Maintenance cost for a F14 was higher than the Maintenance cost for a F22 and F35. So this while complaining about the cost of the, F35 I dumb. The F14 was way more expensive but cost is now only on everybody opinion because of social media and everyone thinking that they are experts on everything because of social media. Also, Dick Chaney had a bunch of stock options on the F18s manufacturer. Chaney wanted that manufacturer stock to grow, no better way than to cancel F14 and push full production of the F18 and F18 Super Hornet.

[@hardcharging]

Couple things there. Yeah maintenance was super complex and all, but so is the F35. Also, Grumman offered an upgrade to the ST21; basically making every Tomcat a super one and compatible for 21st-century needs at the time, and a cost of no more than six figures for each Tomcat to receive the upgrade. My personal opinion: as long as long-range ballistic missiles or long-range bombing capabilities exist among potential adversaries there's always a need for something like the Tomcat.

[@NightMotorcyclist]

I have the 1984 Kawasaki GPZ 900R/ Ninja 900, a model shown in Top Gun as Tom Cruise's motorcycle and that bike is still a fast machine and makes a healthy amount of power and torque that doesn't look out of place when compared to today's sport motorcycles.

[@TheGillhicks]

It might just be me, but these videos are fantastic, yet never long enough.

[@theangryintern]

One of the highlights of my life is getting to see F-14s catapult off the deck of a carrier. They were still being used on my first deployment. Sadly, by my 2nd deployment all the squadrons had converted over to F/A-18s. Also got to see one go supersonic about 200 or so feet above the carrier.

[@evangalinsky2499]

Just a clarification, in the "weapons" section after listing the AAM's (AIM-54 and so on) you showed a picture when saying AIM-9 that was not an AIM-9 (looked like an AGM-88 HARM), and also just before that when mentioning the gun you mentioned the F-4's not being able to carry one (I presume you meant internally) when the F-4E did actually have the same gun in the nose, and all F-4's could carry the M61 Vulcan (same as the 4E and F-14) in a gun pod, or even 3 gun pods.

[@The_real_Arovor]

Could also been an AGM-54 Shrike.

[@evangalinsky2499]

@@The_real_Arovor yeah I didn't pause and look so I only saw it once at normal playback speed, at first glance it looked like a HARM, I could just instantly tell it wasn't an AIM-9 tho.

[@The_real_Arovor]

@@evangalinsky2499 I checked it, the slightly bended tips off the forward wings clearly identify it as a AGM-88. But these are hard to tell apart.

[@IgnoredAdviceProductions]

the Fleet Phantoms didn't bring guns, except for that one f4b that brought 3 pods once For all the effort the air force put into an internal gun for the Phantom, the F4E only got 4 gun kills, while the Navy gave their phantoms better missiles and a pulse doppler radar that can look downwards through the ground clutter

[@evangalinsky2499]

@@IgnoredAdviceProductions I know they didn't always bring guns but I'm just correcting his statement that made it sound like any F-4 couldn't have any guns at all.

[@mchristr]

Don't remember much about the original movie but seeing the newest version is money well spent. While wandering through a California air museum last year, I was struck by how big the F-14 is. With the early P&W engines it's no wonder those things were sketchy on the base turn and final.

[@JediBearBob]

A magnificent weapon for a war we thankfully never fought. Still think we shouldn't have destroyed them. Also notable (specifically the variable-sweep wings) as a major inspiration for the VF-1 Valkyrie variable space fighter.

[@aragorn8414]

A great tribute to an awesome aircraft. Dad worked on the software for this plane back in his “secret squirrel” days at Langley.

[@RAS_Squints]

I remember when the Tomcats were converted to being Bombcats after they had no use for the Phoenix missiles

[@JohnnyWednesday]

If I were a billionaire I'd buy one for crop dusting - try and buy land next to an angry old farmer that doesn't give a damn that I have an F-14

[@davidryan7981]

Sounds nice except the ones that aren't in museums have all been destroyed.

[@Solidboat123]

They were still carrying the Phoenix after being cleared to drop bombs and getting LANTIRN. The missile had nothing to do with the decision to turn the Tomcat into a strike fighter

[@ordinosaurs]

@@davidryan7981 : As I understand it, the ones in museums have been basically "destroyed" as well, with large holes drilled into internal structural components to avoid spares reaching Iran via black market. They are all husks unable of ever flying again.

[@bender7565]

@@Solidboat123 True but, if the potus requires you to eyeball your target before you can fire it kinda defeats the advantage of 125mi range. Carter tied our hands the same way in my 1st VF squadron, Phantoms, VF-33. We mounted Bushnell scopes next to the heads up display.

[@thestrum71]

An iconic plane. Not cheap to operate. But it faired well beyond its intended purposes. Retired too soon. F-15's and F-16's still fly to this day, legends on their own. But never used in the navy... Don't want to sound nostalgic here. The Tomcat still is a great design. In more fields than it was even dedigned for back in the day...

[@MannsWoodlandPerspective]

This plane needs to be at airshows now 😭

[@PK-kr5bk]

Not one flies. In fact most have been crushed to ensure Iran never gets spare parts. They were majestic birds, incredible to watch fly, land and especially on take off. Truly a one of a kind bird. Don’t get too close to the intakes though.

[@jacksonlee3771]

You have to go to Iran to see a F14 in person.

[@RazgrizF14D]

@@jacksonlee3771 At least to see one fly in person, there are a lot of F-14s in museums that you can see, they just can't fly. Just about all of them have had the engines removed. There is a Tomcat that is in a museum in Tallahassee, FL that still has the engines but after it was flown there for the museum, something was done to the engines that made them unable to be used again.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

I've always loved the wing - sweep back up the Delta wing configuration. I guess I was anticipating its upped speed! It's what eagles do when they power dive to catch prey! Pull their wings in toward their bodies! 🤩

[@ncairsoft]

This is great, Simon! I would love to see videos on the F-15 and Fletcher class destroyers!

[@deathwings51]

Swat Kats is what made this plane memorable for me. Theirs was a design based on the F-14

[@BigMobe]

F-14s are cool unless you served in the military & had the privilege of walking the flight deck to look for parts that fell off after every landing. The only plane worse has to be the Harrier AKA "North Carolina lawn darts." The F-15 is my favorite fighter being undefeated in air to air combat, landing with 1-wing, locking onto & killing a satellite in orbit & achieving the highest recorded G-force, but if the F-14 is your jet then I suggest watching Macross Zero.

[@anthonydelaney8249]

Macross Zero baby! So so good!

[@dylandekeyzer1451]

“North Carolina law darts” 😂 my uncle was in airframes for 12 years and I’ve heard lots of good jokes but that one is solid

[@GonzoA211]

Wish we could've seen the Super Cat

[@kenqv3481]

F-15s needed a lot of restrictions on the Tomcat to stand a chance against it..mostly in regards to radar. Eagles were locked up and dead before they could even find the Tomcat.

[@dikayevertear3509]

It's awesome that the F14 was featured in Top Gun. It's Equally amazing that it's the jet of choice for T-Bone and Razor in SwatKats called the TurboCat.

[@kevinquist]

plane was a work of art. hated to see it go.

[@joshuaharmon7411]

I really appreciated the scene in top gun 2 where they are in an F14 and we get a view of the complexity of the Instrument panel in the craft. Wow