Weapons of the Tomcat

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Welcome to the F-14 Weapons Page. In here you will find info on all the Tomcats weapons. Click Here to see pictures of the bombs that the Tomcat carries.

Defensive/Intercept Weapons

Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix (USA)

The first active-radar missile, the Phoenix was designed to shoot
down Tu-22 bombers and their missiles. It is the biggest of all U.S.
air-to-air missiles, and it is only carried on the F-14 Tomcat.
Maximum range is more than 80 miles under ideal circumstances. A
planned replacement for the Phoenix was cancelled in 1991.
However, the expensive nature of the Phoenix missile (approx. U.S.
1 million) deems this missile as a last resort or for use against enemy
Exocet or anti-ship missiles.

Hughes AIM-120 AMRAAM (USA)

The AMRAAM has several advantages over the Sparrow. The most important is that it is an "active-radar"
missile with a complete radar in its nose and its own built-in inertial navigation system. Unlike Sparrow, AMRAAM
does not monopolize the radar, allowing the launch aircraft to search for and track other aircraft while the missile is
in flight. At short range, AMRAAM's can lock-on to a target as soon as it leaves the launch aircraft. The
AMRAAM scored its first kills in 1993 when an F-16 shot down an Iraqi aircraft over the "no-fly zone" in Southern
Iraq.

Loral AIM-9 Sidewinder (USA)

This diabolically simple air-to-air missile has scored more air-combat kills than any other. It was invented in the late
1940s by Navy engineers who mated a heat-seeking guidance system to the body of an unguided 5-inch rocket. The
AIM-9L, introduced in the late 1970s, can be fired at a target from any angle. More recent versions are even more
resistant to decoys. A more compact and more agile version known as the AIM-9X is under development.

Raytheon AIM-7 Sparrow (USA)

First used in the late 1950s, the sparrow is a semi-active radar homing missile. During combat, the attacking
aircraft must illuminates the target with its radar. Using this radar lock from firing to impact, the missile homes in
on the target's signal. Although the early versions were disappointing, the improved Sparrows and the British Sky
Flash are more dependable. Sparrows destroyed most of the Iraqi aircraft shot down in the Gulf war.

Lockheed Martin M61A1 (US)

The most successful aircraft gun ever, the M61A1 uses the Gatling principal to combine accuracy, a lethal round
and a high rate of fire. The Gatling is reliable and can attain a far faster rate of fire than a single-barrel weapon. It
had been neglected for many years because (unlike most machine guns) it required external power. Since its
development, the M61 has been used on many different kinds of aircraft. In the F-4E, the cannon had a reliable
feed system that allowed it to fire 6,000 rounds per minute. A more improved version with longer composite-wound
barrels has been developed for the F-22 Raptor.