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Hypothetic Tomcat Question


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A "what-if " question:

 

What if the F-14 Tomcat was still in production? What would today's Tomcat look like? What sort of upgrades would it have to take on, say, large groups of Su-35s, Su-30s, etc. Assuming stealth features are not a necessity (but nice to have). Just something that "21st-Centrifies" what the Tomcat was originally intended for: shoot down multiple planes from a long distance.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I'm thinking one of the features would be one-piece windshield.

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Take a look at "Super Tomcat 21". This was one of Grumman's several proposal for further F-14 improvements.

 

HTH

-- 

dnl (@ Grumman through '89)

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Wow, I just googled that. Never heard of it before until you mentioned it.  Lo & behold, I was right about the one piece canopy. 

 

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/top-gun-day-special-the-super-tomcat-that-was-never-bu-1575814142

http://aviationintel.com/it-could-have-been-the-attack-super-tomcat-21/

 

Some VERY interesting proposals for the Super Tomcat 21, though it seems geared more towards the strike/fighter mode. I wish they had gone ahead with it and made it more of an air superiority/dominance mode.  Like say, ability to fire 10 Phoenixes or 15 x AIM-120Ds or something. Pretty sure Japan & South Korea would have been customers. It would be a good deterrence for unfriendly neighbors whose communist doctrine would likely have been to attack in large groups.

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I think that the AIM-54C weight was around 1000 lbs, so carrying 10 would have been kinda' unlikely, especially coming off a carrier, plus there was not enough space or enough hardpoints.

Close packing AIM-120Ds between the nacelles may give you 6 120s there plus 4 on the wing shoulders, nothing close to 15 though.

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12 hours ago, hemspilot said:

I think that the AIM-54C weight was around 1000 lbs, so carrying 10 would have been kinda' unlikely, especially coming off a carrier, plus there was not enough space or enough hardpoints.

Close packing AIM-120Ds between the nacelles may give you 6 120s there plus 4 on the wing shoulders, nothing close to 15 though.

 

Maybe not carrier based but land based (eg Naha, Kadena, etc). And doesn't have to be just US Navy. Could be land-based US Marines (Futenma),  JASDF, ROKAF, etc.

And maybe not 15 x AIM-120Ds but something close:

 

Proposed F-15X:

http://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/foundry/image/?q=70&w=1440&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2018%2F07%2Fjjjjajca1.jpg%3Fquality%3D85

 

 

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On 5/5/2019 at 6:52 PM, hemspilot said:

I think that the AIM-54C weight was around 1000 lbs, so carrying 10 would have been kinda' unlikely, especially coming off a carrier, plus there was not enough space or enough hardpoints.

Close packing AIM-120Ds between the nacelles may give you 6 120s there plus 4 on the wing shoulders, nothing close to 15 though.

The F-14 had no problem launching off a carrier with over 10,000 of ordnance, seen it done several times.

 

Max cat weight is 76,000 lbs, basic 43,735 for the F-14D (F-14B is 43,600), max fuel is 20K so that leaves you with about 10K of room for ordnance/suspension equipment. Lessen the fuel, more ordnance you can carry and then just tank after you launch (which we did often).

 

The space is where it gets you,  it is possible to redesign the belly rails so that you can carry six on the belly and two on the wings, if you put one under each nacelle in place of the drop tanks then you can do ten buffalo's.

 

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