Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Today i would like to talk about my favourite aircraft of all F-14 Tomcat........
I start fall in love with this "Cat" since i watch the Top Gun movie.
So i decide to collect all the F-14 model no matter what size it is (1:32, 1:48, 1:72 & 1:144)
So far i have been collecting more than 30 kits of this "Cat".
Will start posting them 1 by 1 after i able group all the pics together.

I have 4 builds in the work that i want to finish then I’m going to start building different brands of cats as an alternative for the jets that i want to build but really don't want to drop the money on Hasegawas for. I have to tomcats in plastic containers to protect them till i get a custom all glass cabinet made but i would like to finish my tomcat project first

* some of the tomcat has been sold to a friend in Malaysia who also a crazy collecter og this "Cat"
here a little bit history about the "Cat" taking from Wiki

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat against MiGs during the Vietnam War.

The F-14 first flew in December 1970. It first deployed in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical reconnaissance platform. In the 1990s it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system and began performing precision strike missions. The F-14 was retired from the active U.S. Navy fleet on 22 September 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. As of 2009, the F-14 was only in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, having been exported to Iran in 1976 when the US had amicable diplomatic relations with the nation.

A total of 712 F-14s were built[53] from 1969 to 1991.[54] F-14 assembly and test flights were performed at Grumman's plant in Calverton on Long Island, NY. Grumman facility at nearby Bethpage, NY was directly involved in F-14 manufacturing and was home to its engineers. The airframes were partially assembled in Bethpage and then shipped to Calverton for final assembly. Various tests were also performed at the Bethpage Plant. Over 160 of the US aircraft were destroyed in accidents.[55]

Variants

F-14A

The F-14A was the initial two-seat all-weather interceptor fighter variant for the US Navy. It first flew on 21 December 1970. The first 12 F-14As were prototype versions (sometimes called YF-14As). Modifications late in its service life added precision strike munitions to its armament. The US Navy received 478 F-14A aircraft and 79 were received by Iran. The final 102 F-14As were delivered with improved TF30-P-414A engines. Additionally, an 80th F-14A was manufactured for Iran, but was delivered to the US Navy.

F-14B

Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals that distinguish the GE F110 engine. The F-14 received its first of many major upgrades in March 1987 with the F-14A Plus (or F-14A+). The F-14A's P&W TF30 engine was upgraded with the GE F110-400. The F-14A+ also received the state-of-the-art ALR-67 Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) system. Much of the avionics as well as the AWG-9 radar were retained. The F-14A+ was later redesignated F-14B on 1 May 1991. A total of 38 new aircraft were manufactured and 48 F-14A were upgraded into B variants.

The TF30 had been plagued from the start with susceptibility to compressor stalls at high AoA and during rapid throttle transients or above 30,000 ft (9,100 m) The F110 engine provided a significant increase in thrust, producing 27,600 lbf (123 kN) with afterburner. The increased thrust gave the Tomcat a better than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio at low fuel quantities. The basic engine thrust without afterburner was powerful enough for carrier launches, further increasing safety. Another benefit was allowing the Tomcat to cruise comfortably above 30,000 ft (9,100 m), which increased its range and survivability. The F-14B arrived in time to participate in Desert Storm.

In the late 1990s, 67 F-14Bs were upgraded to extend airframe life and improve offensive and defensive avionics systems. The modified aircraft became known as F-14B Upgrade aircraft.

F-14D

The final variant of the F-14 was the F-14D Super Tomcat. The F-14D variant was first delivered in 1991. The original TF-30 engines were replaced with GE F110-400 engines, similar to the F-14B. The F-14D also included newer digital avionics systems including a Glass cockpit and replaced the AWG-9 with the newer AN/APG-71 radar. Other systems included the Airborne Self Protection Jammer (ASPJ), Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), SJU-17(V) Naval Aircrew Common Ejection Seats (NACES) and Infra-red search and track (IRST).

Although the F-14D was to be the definitive version of the Tomcat, not all fleet units received the D variant. In 1989, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney refused to approve the purchase of any more F-14D model aircraft for $50 million each and pushed for a $25 million modernization of the F-14 fleet instead. Congress decided not to shut production down and funded 55 aircraft as part of a compromise. A total of 37 new aircraft were constructed and 18 F-14A were upgraded to D variants, designated F-14D(R) for rebuild.  An upgrade to the F-14D's computer software to allow AIM-120 AMRAAM missile capability was planned but was later terminated.

While upgrades had kept the F-14 competitive with modern fighter aircraft technology, Cheney called the F-14 1960s technology. Despite some aggressive proposals from Grumman for a replacement, Cheney planned to replace the F-14 with a fighter that was not manufactured by Grumman. Cheney called the F-14 a "jobs program", and when the F-14 was canceled, an estimated 80,000 jobs of Grumman employees, subcontractors, or support personnel were affected. Starting in 2005, some F-14Ds received the ROVER III upgrade.

Operators

Iran

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) squadrons

·         72nd TFS: F-14A, 1976–present
·         73rd TFS: F-14A, 1977–present

·         81st TFS: F-14A, 1977–present

·         82nd TFS: F-14A, 1978–present

·         83rd TFS: F-14A, re-named former 73rd TFS

United States

United States Navy (USN) squadrons

Pacific Fleet

·         NFWS Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) (Merged with Strike U to form Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) 1996)

·         VF-1 Wolfpack (Disestablished 30 September 1993)

·         VF-2 Bounty Hunters (Redesignated VFA-2 with F/A-18F 1 July 2003)

·         VF-21 Freelancers (Disestablished 31 January 1996)

·         VF-24 Fighting Renegades (Disestablished 20 August 1996)

·         VF-51 Screaming Eagles (Disestablished 31 March 1995)

·         VF-111 Sundowners (Disestablished 31 March 1995; reestablished as VFC-111 with F-5F 1 November 2006)

·         VF-114 Aardvarks (Disestablished 30 April 1993)

·         VF-154 Black Knights (Redesignated VFA-154 with F/A-18F 1 October 2003)

·         VF-191 Satan's Kittens (Disestablished 30 April 1988)

·         VF-194 Red Lightnings (Disestablished 30 April 1988)

Atlantic Fleet

·         VF-11 Red Rippers (Redesignated to VFA-11 with F/A-18F in May 2005)

·         VF-14 Tophatters (Redesignated VFA-14 with F/A-18E 1 December 2001)

·         VF-31 Tomcatters (Redesignated VFA-31 with F/A-18E October 2006)

·         VF-32 Swordsmen (Redesignated VFA-32 with F/A-18F on 1 October 2005)

·         VF-33 Starfighters (Disestablished 1 October 1993)

·         VF-41 Black Aces (Redesignated VFA-41 with F/A-18F, 1 December 2001)

·         VF-74 Bedevilers (Disestablished 30 April 1994)

·         VF-84 Jolly Rogers (Disestablished 1 October 1995; squadron heritage and nickname transferred to VF-103)

·         VF-102 Diamondbacks (Redesignated VFA-102 with F/A-18F in 1 May 2002)

·         VF-103 Sluggers/Jolly Rogers (Redesignated VFA-103 with F/A-18F 1 May 2005)

·         VF-142 Ghostriders (Disestablished 30 April 1995)

·         VF-143 Pukin' Dogs (Redesignated VFA-143 with F/A-18E in early 2005)

·         VF-211 Fighting Checkmates (Redesignated VFA-211 with F/A-18F 1 October 2004)

·         VF-213 Black Lions (Redesignated VFA-213 with F/A-18F in May 2006)

Test and Evaluation Squadrons

·         VX-4 Evaluators (Disestablished 30 September 1994 and merged into VX-9)

·         VX-9 Vampires (Currently operates F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-18G, EA-6B, AV-8B, AH-1 and UH-1)

·         VX-23 Salty Dogs (Currently operates F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-6B, EA-18G and T-45)

Fleet Replacement Squadrons

·         VF-101 Grim Reapers (Disestablished 15 September 2005)

·         VF-124 Gunfighters (Disestablished 30 September 1994)

Naval Air Reserve Force Squadrons

·         VF-201 Hunters (Redesignated VFA-201 with F/A-18A 1 January 1999, Disestablished 30 June 2007)

·         VF-202 Superheats (Disestablished 31 December 1994)

·         VF-301 Devil's Disciples (Disestablished 11 September 1994)

·         VF-302 Stallions (Disestablished 11 September 1994)

Squadron Augmentation Units

·         VF-1285 Fighting Fubijars (Disestablished) augmented VF-301 and VF-302

·         VF-1485 Americans (Disestablished) augmented VF-124

·         VF-1486 Fighting Hobos (Disestablished) augmented VF-101