Although it's not Tomcat Thursday, I thought a deeper dive into the marvelous Grumman F-14 Tomcat might be in order. Here it is.
In the late 1950s the U.S. Navy developed the F-4 Phantom Mach 2 all-weather fighter, which had a very successful career spanning many decades. But, as is the custom, as soon as one aircraft comes into service, the military starts thinking about the next generation.
Both the Navy and the Air Force were looking to develop next-generation fighters around 1960. The Navy wanted a fleet air defense fighter to function as an interceptor to defend carrier groups against Soviet air attack and the Air Force wanted a high-performance strike aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. The turbofan engine was coming into service and promised good performance with lower fuel consumption that the older turbojets. In addition, various test aircraft had used variable-geometry wings which promised good performance: minimum wing sweep for good low-speed performance and maximum sweep for low drag and high speed.
The two services' missions were distinctly different, but the idiot Secretary of Defense at the time, decreed that Navy and Air Force would use the same airplane, with minor changes for each service. Thus was born the TFX, which became the F-111. The variable-geometry wing proved very successful and mostly trouble-free. The high-performance afterburning turbofan engine was another matter and the F-111 had problems with the Pratt & Whitney TF30 engine from the start. The Air Force, planning to operate its F-111s from runways on land, was one matter but the Navy, for which low-speed characteristics in the carrier landing mode was critical, was not at all happy with the TF30. Nevertheless, management mandated the two services use the same aircraft.
The Air Force's F-111A had engine and intake difficulties that took years to fully resolve but had excellent qualities for all-weather strike (and the Vietnam War tested those qualities.) The USAF went on to develop improved F-111D, E and F versions that served well for years.
The Navy's F-111B was troubled: The Air Force was the lead service and had specified an aircraft that was marginally too large for carrier decks. The TF30 was marginal in the carrier landing environment, where rapid throttle response is critical in case a carrier landing must be aborted at the last moment. The F-111B did, however, have an excellent weapons system and used the large and advanced AIM-54 long-range air-to-air missile.
The Secretary of Defense was unbothered by Navy objections and determined to see his program through to the end. Fortunately, members of Congress saw what was happening and ended up forcing cancellation of the Navy F-111B.
The F-111 was a General Dynamics product and for the Navy F-111B version had partnered with Grumman, a reliable and preferred contractor for the Navy. When the F-111B got into trouble, Grumman started work on an alternative fighter using the same weapons system and TF30 engines of the F-111B. Upon cancellation of the B, Grumman was ready with a proposal for a new fleet air defense fighter. The Navy liked what they saw on paper and the design was funded.
The resulting F-14A was still a large fighter, as it had to be with a large radar, two TF30 engines, etc., but it was optimized for aircraft carrier operations. The prototype F-14A flew in late 1970 and the Navy was pleased. With all the advanced tech and capabilities, it was expensive, but the program forged ahead.
The Navy ended up buying 557 F-14As with the last deliveries in 1987. Everyone concerned was fully aware of the limitations of the P&W TF30 engine in the F-14A. The Navy originally wanted to buy a limited number of F-14As and then upgrade to an F-14B model with a P&W F401 engine related to the F-15's F100. Budget realities prevented that move and the F401 proved to have some difficulties as well. The Navy's plan to fix the TF30 was put on hold. (They also planned to upgrade the radar of the F-14Bs and build F-14Cs with new engines and new radar; that never happened either.)
The F-14A equipped almost all the carrier fighter squadrons by the 1980s. TF30 problems continued but the pilots developed workarounds. Nevertheless, the Navy finally found money to upgrade the propulsion system by installing the General Electric F110 engine. The single F-14B test aircraft was dusted off and fitted with F110s. The result was gratifying. The Navy ordered 36 new production F-14A+s, which were soon redesignated F-14B and converted 32 F-14As to the F-14B as well. The F-14B equipped about six fighter squadrons.
The next step was a weapons system upgrade. The original radar inherited from the F-111B was replaced by a new radar and the resulting F-14D was given other smaller upgrades as well. The Navy finally had an outstanding carrier fighter in all respects and planned to buy 127 F-14Ds and remanufacture 104 F-14As to the new standard for a force of 231 aircraft. Budget woes put an end to those plans and in the end 37 new F-14Ds were produced and only 18 F-14As were converted for a total of 55 F-14Ds. Just four fighter squadrons got F-14Ds, and a number of squadrons continued to make do with F-14As.
For those doing the math, that makes a total of 630 U.S. Navy F-14s of all models.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat
I haven't addressed the Tomcat's fangs and claws yet; let me add that in another post.