Information on the Knowledge newspaper , the F-14 Tomcat fighter is a product of Grumman Corporation (now Northrop Grumman) developed for the US Navy. As far as is known, the aircraft first took off in 1970, and has been in service with the US Navy since 1974.
According to military officials, the F-14 fighter is the most modern aircraft, playing a key role on the US Navy’s aircraft carriers. Especially then, although not equipped enough for the navy, Washington agreed to sell F-14 to Tehran – the most important US ally at that time.
The legendary American F-14 Tomcat fighter. Photo: Zing News
The F-14 is designed for the primary mission of air superiority, air defense, interception, tactical air reconnaissance and possibly ground attack. Characteristics of the F-14 fighter jet is designed with a swinging wing type that is controlled completely automatically by the central aviation data computer.
The F-14 is powered by a pair of TF30 (or JT10A) turbofan turbofan engines that provide an overall thrust of up to 93kN each, allowing the aircraft to reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.34 . However, the TF30 engine was widely criticized for being unreliable, leading to accidents for the F-14s. However, up to 70% of F-14s (out of 712 F-14s built from 1969-1991) used the TF30 engine, later variants including the F-14B/D were equipped with the engine. more reliable than the F110-GE-400.
The aircraft reached a speed of Mach 2.34 or 2,485km/h at a high ceiling, a combat radius of 926km, a ceiling of 15.2km, and a climbing speed of 229m/s. Despite its high flight performance, not inferior to the MiG, however, the use of the flapping wing makes the F-14 fighter unsuitable for aerial combat. Fortunately, it is equipped with powerful radar that enables it to carry long-range surface-to-air missiles that give it a significant advantage over the MiG.
News on Zing News , from the F-14B and D versions, the manufacturer installed the new GE F-110 engine with more thrust. Pilots can take off without using the combustion chamber twice to ensure safety. The F-14s, when preparing to take off, will lower the front wheels as much as possible to increase thrust as the catapult pushes the plane away, a solution similar to the technique of loading in racing.
The F-14 Tomcat aircraft reached a speed of Mach 2.34 or 2,485km/h. Photo: Knowledge
F-14 design engineers once affirmed that it is impossible to adjust the wing flaps and wings in asymmetrical positions. But test pilots proved them wrong. Up to 25% of the F-14’s lift comes from the large area between the wings. The Tomcat doesn’t have the impressive maneuverability of the F-16, but it has very good lateral stability that makes it one of the fearsome fighters in the sky. The main armament of the Tomcat is 6 AIM 54 Phoenix missiles with a range of up to 190 km. It is America’s longest-range air-to-air missile.
In the 1970s, the US sold the F-14 to Iran and the fighter is still in service today. The Iranian Air Force used Phoenix missiles to shoot down Iraqi planes during the Iran-Iraq war, something the US Air Force never did.
