F-14 Tomcat Projects

[Yellow Palace]

One Tomcat squadron per Air Wing, though I'd be shocked if the 4th Wing actually would have gotten Tomcats. 4th Marine Division and 4th Marine Air Wing are the reserve components...

Given that the four Marine Air Wings aren't homogeneous, I'm guessing that one of the active ones would have got two Tomcat squadrons.

 

[BlackBat242]

Apparently VMFA-531 was in the middle of Tomcat training when the USMC scrapped its plans. By that point they were intending to have four Tomcat squadrons.

The light attack capability wasn't just a Grumman thing - it was also part of the original Navy requirement for the F-14. I have an idea that it stayed on the books long enough that the aircraft was actually built with the ground attack modes, but they were never qualified for use.

The info I have seen since the late 1970s was that Grumman & the USN had tried to use one type of bomb pylon on the F-14 and found that the bombs weren't being ejected clear of the trough between the engines, and tended to bounce off the aircraft skin on their way aft out of the trough.

I note that when the USN qualified F-14Ds as "Bombcats" they used a similar ejector that was also mounted on fairings like those of the AIM-54 - just like the original test aircraft (and the Iranian F-14s) did - so I have started to question the old info.

 

[Manuducati]

What I've read several times is that the Navy was expecting for the USMC to pay for the air-to-ground weaponry integration, as the Corp was eyeing at the Tomcat ro replace its Phantom. The first USMC pilots were already training as instructors with VF-124.
But the USMC wasn't willing to fund the development alone and preferred to go for the Hornet instead.

 

[Scott Kenny]

The info I have seen since the late 1970s was that Grumman & the USN had tried to use one type of bomb pylon on the F-14 and found that the bombs weren't being ejected clear of the trough between the engines, and tended to bounce off the aircraft skin on their way aft out of the trough.

I note that when the USN qualified F-14Ds as "Bombcats" they used a similar ejector that was also mounted on fairings like those of the AIM-54 - just like the original test aircraft (and the Iranian F-14s) did - so I have started to question the old info.

They may have used stronger ejectors on the F-14Ds.

 

[BlackBat242]

They may have used stronger ejectors on the F-14Ds.

That is also a likely development.

 

[Cjc]

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fp3-tt.byteimg.com%2Forigin%2Ftos-cn-i-qvj2lq49k0%2F083b64abd449462c90fcfd5fe4228623.jpg&hash=eaab1807de05a32d4fd7c44cf9ee1043

The original bomb racks (that didn't work)

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F6%2F68%2FF-14A_VF-84_VerticalMk82.JPEG&hash=7cc3bd6b18474fdf16309fdcbae62833

New bomb racks (on the phenix pylons)

 

[Yellow Palace]

I note that when the USN qualified F-14Ds as "Bombcats" they used a similar ejector that was also mounted on fairings like those of the AIM-54 - just like the original test aircraft (and the Iranian F-14s) did - so I have started to question the old info.

I believe a large part of that was to do with cost. The 'Bombcat' upgrade was done on a shoestring, qualifying the existing Phoenix fairings for bombs was far cheaper than the alternatives, and with PGMs there was no real need for a bomb truck.

 

[Archibald]

What I've read several times is that the Navy was expecting for the USMC to pay for the air-to-ground weaponry integration, as the Corp was eyeing at the Tomcat ro replace its Phantom. The first USMC pilots were already training as instructors with VF-124.

But the USMC wasn't willing to fund the development alone and preferred to go for the Hornet instead.

And the Hornet ended quite expensive...