F-14A Early

F-14A Early

F-14A Early

Description

The F-14A Tomcat (Early) is a rank American jet fighter with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at _,___ m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	___	___		__._	__._	__._	__._	___
Upgraded	___	___		__._	__._	__._	__._

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
_	_	_	_	_	_

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
		___	___	___	~__	~__

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< ___	< ___	< ___	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-412A		2	_,___ kg		___ kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		_m fuel	__m fuel	__m fuel
___ kg	___		_,___ kg	_,___ kg	_,___ kg	_,___ kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP)
Condition	100%	___%/WEP	_m fuel	__m fuel	__m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	___ kgf	___ kgf	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
Optimal	___ kgf (_ km/h)	___ kgf (_ km/h)	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)	CCRP (Bombs)

Offensive armament

The F-14A Early is armed with:

• A choice between two presets:
  • 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon, cheek-mounted (676 rpg)
  • 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon + 60 x countermeasures

Suspended armament

The F-14A Early can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

• Without load
• 2 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9H Sidewinder missiles
• 6 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
• 6 x AIM-7F Sparrow missiles
• 6 x AIM-54A Phoenix missiles
• 14 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (3,500 lb total)
• 14 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (7,000 lb total)
• 4 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 4 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (8,000 lb total)
• 16 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets

Custom loadout options

	1	2	3	4	5	6
250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs			8*	6
500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs			8*	6
1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs			2*	2
2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs			2*†	2
Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets		8			8
AIM-7E Sparrow missiles		1	2	1, 2*	1
AIM-7F Sparrow missiles		1	2	1, 2*	1
AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles	1	1			1	1
AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles	1	1			1	1
AIM-9H Sidewinder missiles	1	1			1	1
AIM-54A Phoenix missiles		1	2*	2†	1
* Use of dual Sparrow missiles on hardpoint 4 prevents use of the marked options on hardpoint 3 † The AIM-54A Phoenix missiles on hardpoint 4 cannot be carried in conjunction with 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs on hardpoint 3

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent turn rate despite being an very large and heavy plane
• 60 countermeasures provides excellent ability to ward off missiles
• Lethal M61 Vulcan due to its fast fire rate and projectile velocity

• Can carry up to 8 missiles max of your choosing between the AIM-7s, AIM-9s, and the AIM-54 making your plane extremely versatile

• The AIM-54 has insane range (100km max) and it's rocket booster lasts for a very long time, and it's also an ARH (Active radar homing) missile

• Very effective dogfighter at any speeds with its variable wing sweep thus being one of the best energy retaining jet fighters at its BR
• Variable swept wings can help you accelerate fast when it's pulled back and also good when slow with the wings are expanded
• The top speed of this plane is very high (you can cap out at 1500 km/h IAS at sea level)
• Effective bomb loadouts also makes this plane good at ground pounding if that's your playstyle
• Multi-mode radar makes it effective at any situation (The TWS mode makes the AIM-54 rather potent)
• The brand new AIM-9H has much better flare resistance than previous AIM-9s (such as the G variant or J)

Cons:

• Big plane, you are a very easy target to hit
• The fuel burning is otherworldly fast thus you have to carry lots of it and it hampers your maneuverability
• Massive wing and fuselage fuel tanks makes it so if you get hit anywhere you would most definitely go down in a fireball
• You cannot pull sustained Gs when you are above 1000 km/h IAS (11-13 Gs) or your wings would rip
• The engine heat signature is 2x the size of the MiG-23MLD making you more vulnerable to IR missiles if you're distracted
• The AIM-54's rocket motor lasts for a very long time making it very easy to see and dodge

History

Devblog

In 1968, five aircraft building companies entered the Pentagon's competition for a new carrier-based interceptor fighter. The commission's preference was given to Grumman's design, a twin-engine jet fighter with a variable-swept wing. Work on the F-14A fighter began in February 1969, and in December of the next year, the new aircraft took her maiden flight. The main weapon of the F-14A was the AIM-54 Phoenix long-range missiles controlled by the newest to date weapon control system. Instead of building prototypes, Grumman immediately switched to the production of an experimental series, and already on December 31, 1972, the first batch of jet fighters were put into service with the VF-124 Fleet Replacement Squadron . Pilot training took place on the deck of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, and during the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam, combat sorties were also made from the deck. In total 557 F-14A fighters were delivered to the US Navy until 1987, and another 80 aircraft were built for Iran. Tomcats were used in all military conflicts where US aircraft took part until the very decommissioning. Iranian F-14s took an active part in the Iran-Iraq war, scoring dozens of air kills.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.