Dogfights over Libya.The
Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a
supersonic, twin-engine,
two-seat, variable geometry
wing aircraft. The F-14 was
the United States Navy's
primary maritime air
superiority fighter, fleet
defense interceptor and
tactical reconnaissance
platform from 1972 to 2006. It
later performed precision
strike missions
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Dogfights over Libya.The
Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a
supersonic, twin-engine,
two-seat, variable geometry
wing aircraft. The F-14 was
the United States Navy's
primary maritime air
superiority fighter, fleet
defense interceptor and
tactical reconnaissance
platform from 1972 to 2006. It
later performed precision
strike missions once it was
integrated with LANTIRN. It
was developed after the
collapse of the F-111B
project, and was the first of
the American teen-series
fighters which were designed
incorporating the experience
of air combat in Vietnam
against MiGs. It entered
service in 1972 with the U.S.
Navy, replacing the F-4
Phantom II. It was later
exported to the Imperial
Iranian Air Force in 1976. It
was retired from the U.S. Navy
fleet on 22 September 2006,
having been replaced by the
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.As of
2007, it remains in service
only with the Islamic Republic
of Iran Air Force. The F-14
began replacing the F-4
Phantom II in USN service
starting in September 1974
with squadrons VF-1 Wolfpack
and VF-2 Bounty Hunters aboard
USS Enterprise and
participated in the American
withdrawal of Saigon. The F-14
had its first kills on August
19, 1981 over the Gulf of
Sidra in what is known as the
Gulf of Sidra incident after
two F-14s from VF-41 Black
Aces were engaged by two
Libyan Su-22 'Fitters'. The
F-14s evaded the short range
heat seeking AA-2 'Atoll'
missile and returned fire,
downing both Libyan aircraft.
U.S. Navy F-14s once again
were pitted against Libyan
aircraft on January 4, 1989,
when two F-14s from VF-32 shot
down two Libyan MiG-23
'Floggers' over the Gulf of
Sidra in a second Gulf of
Sidra incident. The F-14 was
designed to improve on the
Phantom's air combat
performance in several
respects. The F-14's canopy
offers the crew excellent
visibility throughout the 360
degrees in a circle. The plane
features variable geometry
wings that sweep automatically
during flight. For high-speed
intercept, they are swept
back; they swing forward to
allow the F-14 to turn sharply
and dogfight. The F-14's
fuselage and wings allow it to
climb faster than the F-4,
while the twin-tail
arrangement offers better
stability. During the Vietnam
conflict, the F-4's lack of a
gun was criticized by fighter
pilots, and the belated use of
a 20 mm gun pod attached to a
hard point, while useful, was
not an optimal solution. As a
result, Grumman equipped the
F-14 with an internal 20 mm
Vulcan Gatling-type gun
mounted on the left side, and
can carry Phoenix, Sparrow,
and Sidewinder anti-aircraft
missiles. The Navy wanted the
F-14 to have a
thrust-to-weight ratio of
unity or greater, though this
was not achieved until after
the F-14 entered service
because of delays in engine
development. A higher thrust
to weight ratio allows a
fighter pilot to use the
vertical as well as horizontal
dimension when dogfighting.
The value of this was clearly
demonstrated via the Navy's
Top Gun program, begun in
March of 1969. F-4 Phantom
crews frequently fought North
Vietnamese MiG-17s. The MiG
was lighter and could turn
more sharply in a dogfight
than the Phantom. However, the
Phantom's crew could use its
superior thrust to exploit the
vertical dimension, and, as
one example, Top Gun
instructors taught F-4 crews
to perform the 'egg maneuver,'
wherein a Phantom engaging a
MiG would climb sharply,
completing a loop inverted and
then dive on the hapless
enemy. The result was that,
after 1970, US Navy fighter
crews enjoyed a greater than
12:1 kill ratio over North
Vietnamese pilots.
The F-14 was designed to
incorporate these lessons. The
intended thrust to weight
ratio of unity would allow it
to out climb any opposing
fighter jet; the swing-wing
would allow it to
'knife-fight' in the
horizontal as well, and the
internal gun would ensure the
crew had a reliable, lethal
weapon to use when
knife-fighting.

Category Autos & Vehicles

Tags dogfight, f14, Mig23, batle, war, warbirds, engagement, fight, airplane, aircraft, military, usaf, libya, boeing, airbus, 747, a380