F-14A/B
The Grumann F-14A/B Tomcat is a two-seat, twin-engine supersonic variable wing-sweep fighter aircraft. The F-14 was the first US fighter jet with twin tails and was the largest & heaviest US fighter to ever fly from an aircraft carrier. The reason that the F-14 was so incredibly large and heavy was that it carried the large AWG-9 radar and accompanying AIM-54 Phoenix (air-to-air) missiles: this very capable combination allowed the F-14 to make shots of up to 200 nautical miles at the bad guys. Also, being big means you can carry a lot of fuel!
Of course, the practical range of the AWG-9 is rather more limited, especially if you are shooting at more maneuverable fighter-sized targets, but even at these closer ranges, the AIM-54 Phoenix is still a capable missile that should not be underestimated. The F-14 is also capable of carrying an array of air-to-ground weapons, such as dumb bombs in both high and low drag forms, air-to-ground Zuni rockets and even laser-guided bombs, which can be self-designated using the LANTIRN targeting pod on the F-14.
Most people will recognize and adore the F-14 because of its stardom presence in that one weird volleyball movie from the '80s. Its on-screen presence in movies will make the F-14 to appear docile and easy to fly, but due to lack of a fly-by-wire the F-14 can be a real handful: it being a pilot's aircraft however makes it fun to fly and learn. The analogous nature of the F-14 (comparable to the F-5E II Tigershark) will give you a good knowledge of the airplane over time but requires a bit of a different mindset that the computerized flight of the F/A-18C and the F-15.
Weapons List
Implemented
Partially or fully implemented weapons of the F14/A/B Tomcat:
- M61 Vulcan Six-Barreled Gatling Gun
- AIM-7 Sparrow
- AIM-9 Sidewinder
- AIM-54 Phoenix
- Mk-81, 82, 83, and 84
- GBU-10, 12, 16, and 24
- MK-20 Rockeye
- Zuni Rockets
- BDU-33 Practice Bombs
- ADM-141 TALD
- LUU-2 Parachute Flare
- Smokewinder
- LANTIRN Pod
- FPU-1 Fuel Tank
Changing Countermeasures Load
When rearming, you mustn't change the flare/chaff selection from the default DCS rearm window - if you change it, the system may not work properly.
Instead, you should use your ICS radio menu and:
- Select "F8. Ground Crew"
- "F6. Select AN/ALE-39 Loadout"
- Choose the option you need.
- The radio menu will close. Open it again.
- Select "F8. Ground Crew"
- Select "F1. Rearm & Refuel". Choose your weapons, fuel, and paint scheme if you want. Don't change flares and chaff. Click OK.
- Your selected AN/ALE-39 loadout will be ready when the rearming is finished.
