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F-14A Phoenix pallets fitment


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 I am using the GWH 1/72 F-14A tomcat kit to hopefully build this aircraft durin Op D Storm in this weapons configuration:-https://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-14/162689_6.jpg

 

 I have fitted the Fwd Phoenix pallets, but I am not sure if the rear pallets were fitted. I know that after the initial days of the war the US Navy reduced the number of Phoenix missiles carried from 4 down to 2 or just 1. I know that this is because the threat did not appear as bad as first thought and also it was some thing to do with weight. So this is why I am asking if the rear ones were carried? I have looked at many photos from that time period of other F-14s but cannot make this out.

 

Another question is if the rear pallets are not carried would the link thing that GWH supply with the Fwd ones be fitted or removed?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

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Edited by Jabba29
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I don't know of any squadron that flew 4 x AIM-54 during the war. The common load out for the F-14's that were based in the Red Sea (VF-14, 32, 74 and 103) was 3 Sparrows, 2 Sidewinders and 2 Phoenix's. IIRC after the first few days of the war the squadrons based in the Persian Gulf went from the 3x2x2 load out to a 4x4x0 loadout (4 Sparrows, 4 Sidewinders, 0 Phoenix).

 

As for the Umbilical Bridge (link thing), it was normally installed unless the aft weapons rails and/or Phoenix Adapters were installed on the wing stations so I would remove them.

 

HTH

GW

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Is there a web page that shows typical F-14A ordnance loads at various time periods? I'm working on a Tamiya kit with Furball decals for VF-41 aboard USS Nimitz in 1976. Sooner or later I'll have to figure out what to hang.

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I don't know of a page that list weapons load out for all time periods.

 

For a VF-41 1976 Tomcat, I would go with either 2x2x2 or 1x1x1, that was the standard load out for east coast squadrons up until Desert Storm.

 

# x # x # = Sparrow x Sidewinder x Phoenix

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1 hour ago, seawinder said:

Is there a web page that shows typical F-14A ordnance loads at various time periods? I'm working on a Tamiya kit with Furball decals for VF-41 aboard USS Nimitz in 1976. Sooner or later I'll have to figure out what to hang.

 

Not definitive or comprehensive by any means but seaforces.org posts photos grouped by unit and arranged chronologically (where dates are known).  Note they group units separately by designation so the Tomcat pics are under "inactive" VF squadron listings, even where legacy VFAs are still active.  Black Aces VF link HERE

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Thanks for this info. The information I got for the carriage of 4 Phoenix came from a Fightertown decal sheet instructions.

 

Anyhow what I am after is to do with the photo of the aircraft in the link. In the photo the aircraft is carrying 1x Phoenix on the Fwd right pallet with nothing on the left, 1x AIM-7 and 9s on each of the wing glove pylons. So if the Fwd pallets are in use in this configuration, would the rear pallets be fitted?

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4 hours ago, Jabba29 said:

Thanks for this info. The information I got for the carriage of 4 Phoenix came from a Fightertown decal sheet instructions.

 

Anyhow what I am after is to do with the photo of the aircraft in the link. In the photo the aircraft is carrying 1x Phoenix on the Fwd right pallet with nothing on the left, 1x AIM-7 and 9s on each of the wing glove pylons. So if the Fwd pallets are in use in this configuration, would the rear pallets be fitted?

No rear rails (pallets) would be installed, don't think anything was loaded on the right wing either. 

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