Tomcat Info

Engines


F-14A
2x Pratt&Whitney TF30-P-414A

Dry Thrust
96.78kN (21,750 lb st)

Afterburner
151.98kN (34,154 lb st)

F-14B/D
2x General Electric F110-GE-400

Dry Thrust
122.82kN (27,600 lb st)

Afterburner
245.64kN (55,200 lb st)

Variants



The Tomcat is a 2-seat, twin-engine fighter with twin tails and
variable-geometry wings. Its general arrangement consists of a long
nacelle containing the large nose radar and 2 crew positions
extending well forward and above the widely spaced engines. The
engines are parallel to a central structure that flattens towards the
tail; butterfly-shaped airbrakes are located between the fins on the
upper and lower surfaces. Altogether, the fuselage forms more than
half of the total aerodynamic lifting surface. The original design
airframe life for the F-14 was 6,000 hours, but was later extended to
7,200 hours.



The F-14 Tomcat is the US Navy's standard carrier based fighter. Its
missions include Combat Air Patrol (CAP), Deck-Launched Intercept (DLI),
and air superiority. It is a large, fast, heavy aircraft designed around the
long-range AIM-54 Phoenix Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) and the powerful
Hughes AWG-9 weapons control system, which weighs 1,300 lb (590 kg) and
occupies a volume of 25 cu ft (0.71 cu m).


The final prototype of the F-14 took off on May 24th, 1971, with its variable-geometry wings for speed and greater
stability. In full forward-sweep position,the wings provided the lift needed for slow-speed flight, especially needed
during carrier landings. In swept-back positions, the wings blend into the aircraft, giving the F-14 Tomcat a dart-like
silhouette for high-speed, super-sonic flight (using Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A Turbofans).

The wings are shoulder-mounted and programmed for
automatic sweep during flight, with a manual override provided.
The twin, swept fin-and-rudder vertical surfaces are mounted
on the engine housings and canted outward. The wing pivot
carry- through structure crosses the central structure; the carry
through is 22 ft (6.7 m) long and constructed from 33 electron
welded parts machined from titanium; the pivots are located
outboard of the engines. Normal sweep range is 20 to 68 deg
with a 75-deg "oversweep" position provided for shipboard
hangar stowage; sweep speed is 7.5 deg per second.

For roll control below 57 deg, the F-14 uses spoilers located along the
upper wing near the trailing edge in conjunction with its all-moving,
swept tailplanes, which are operated differentially; above 57-deg
sweep, the tailplanes operate alone. For unswept, low-speed combat
maneuvering, the outer 2 sections of trailing edge flaps can be
deployed at 10 deg and the nearly full-span leading-edge slats are
drooped to 8.5 deg. At speeds above Mach 1.0, glove vanes in the
leading edge of the fixed portion of the wing extend to move the
aerodynamic center forward and reduce loads on the tailplane.