F-14 Tomcat

Wingspan:
64 feet 2 inches open, 38 feet 2 inches swept
Length:
62 feet, 8 inches
Height:
16 feet
Weight:
74,349 lbs (Max)
Speed:
780 knots, Mach 1.88
Ceiling:
56,000 feet
Range:
500 Nautical miles (combat)/2,000 Nautical mile (transit)
Power:
Two Pratt and Witney TF30-P414 Turbofan engines w/ afterburners and 20,900 pounds static thrust.
Power (F-14D):
Two F110-GE-400 augmented turbofan engines w/afterburners and 23,600 pounds.
Power (F-14A)
Two PW TF30-P-414As rated at 17,077 pounds
Armament:
One M61A1 Vulcan 20mm Cannon
(A mix depending on mission)
AIM 54 Phoenix
AIM 7 Sparrow
AIM9 Sidewinder
Crew:
2
Service:
Navy
*Selected in the late 1960's to replace the F-4, the Tomcat has become the standard carrier-based combat aircraft in the Navy. Considered one of the best fighters in the world, F-14's were involved in the downing of Libyan planes in the Gulf of Sidra and the apprehension of the Achille Lauro kidnappers in the Mediterranean. It is also known for its role in the movie "Top Gun."
Iraqi Counterpart--
Iraq has no carrier-based aircraft, but it is likely that F-14's will face a similar threat as that posed to the F-15 from the MiG-21, MiG-25, MiG-29, and the French built Mirage F-1.
Action in Desert Storm--
As an air-to-air fighter, the F-14 did not get to see much of the Iraqi Air Force given their destruction and their desire not to fly. F-14's were used to provide combat air patrols over attacking carrier based aircraft and their ships, and one plane was downed by enemy ground fire. However, no F-14's were taken out in air-to-air combat.
99 F-14's flew 4.182 sorties for a total of 14,248 flight hours. The 16 F-14's configued to carry a tactical air reconnaissance pod system flew a total of 2,552 flight hours. Five of the six carriers in the KTO carried F-14's.
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