F-14 Tomcat
by Mars-Bound_Hokie
uploaded 2024-12-11
29 downloads /
2
points
SPH
stock+DLC aircraft
#Grumman #f14 #usa #maverick #iran

On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world.

They succeeded.

Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School.
The flyers call it:

The F-14 Tomcat on display in the SPH.

  • Since the real-life F-14 cockpit window was long (on account of it being a two-seater), I decided to give this aircraft two cockpits. If the pilot flies right, it won’t end up in a flatspin that would kill BOTH occupants since nobody can EVA.
  • Once again, I tried to use Panther engines even with a reduced gimbal. And once again, that turned out to be a complete failure. From now on, no Panther engines on aircraft I expect to be supersonic.
  • Just like with my B-1 Lancer replica, I configured the wing motors so that the AG4 button can switch between angles. However, after examining other F-14 replicas, I decided to go with the larger Rotation Servo M-25 to minimize wing wiggling.
  • I didn’t know how splitting the throttle would work out in KSP, but I removed the symmetry from the engines and configured the AG9 and AG0 buttons to shut off the port-side (left) and starboard-side (right) engines and air intakes respectively.

Maverick Kerman and Goose Kerman, feeling the need for speed, climbing to cruising altitude in an F-14 with the wings swept back.

  • This photograph was taken a week before Goose died in a training accident.

An F-14 Tomcat flying north on a test cruise.

  • It is no surprise that its service ceiling and expected range would be lower than those from my MiG-23 Flogger replica, since that was the case in real-life; the speeds were also close.
  • What was a surprise was that the plane could cruise better if the wings were straight. Otherwise, it would consume a lot more fuel trying to maintain an average cruising altitude due to a larger fluctuation difference in swept mode.

Real-life Counterpart Performance Stats

(Grumman F-14D Tomcat)

Maximum Speed: 1,544 mph (690.2 m/s)
Service Ceiling: 53,000 feet (16.15 km)
Range: 1,800 miles (3,000 km)

  • Combat Range - Fighter Escort: 579 miles (932 km)
  • Combat Range - Deck Launched Intercept: 235 miles (378 km)

Source: Wikipedia

Details

  • Type: SPH
  • Class: aircraft
  • Part Count: 58
  • Pure Stock
  • KSP: 1.12.5

Description

Made famous in the “Top Gun” movies starring Tom Cruise, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a two-seat, all-weather, carrier-based, supersonic variable-geometry jet fighter. Developed for the U.S. Navy, it was introduced in 1974 and was the first of America’s “Teen Series” fighters. Until the F-14’s retirement in 2006, it served as the Navy’s primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense, interceptor, and tactical reconnaissance aircraft. Thanks to radar-guided missiles such as the AIM-7 sparrow or the AIM-54 Phoenix, it could hit air targets from beyond visual range. In the mid-1990s, the Tomcat was upgraded with the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system, which allowed it to perform precision ground strike missions.
The F-14 first saw combat in 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra, when two of them shot down Libyan Su-22 fighters. While the United States was the F-14’s primary user, it was also exported to Iran to be used as land-based interceptors during Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s reign. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, which birthed the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran, their F-14s were used against Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. Although the Tomcat is retired from service in the U.S. – and was replaced with F/A-18E and F Super Hornet – it remains in active service with Iran’s air force.

A stock aircraft called F-14 Tomcat. Built with 58 of the finest parts, its root part is Mark2Cockpit.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.12.5.

Maverick and Goose flying over Maples, approaching the ocean.

With no friendly carriers in sight, Maverick and Goose turned west to find some ground to land on.

  • Even with the wings extended, it was extremely difficult to turn while flying over Mach 2. It took a long time for the F-14 to turn right before it would splash into the ocean.

Another successful landing.

  • Behind the rudders, the airbrakes are deployed thanks to the AG7 button.

RECOMMENDED CRUISE

Altitude: 17 km (~55.8k ft; Class Alpha airspace)

  • Climb with wings swept back.

Velocity: 1000 m/s (~2,237 mph)
Wing Sweep: Straight (DO NOT SWEEP).

EXPECTED RANGE

1,600 km before immediate landing necessary.

An F-14 in a demonstration flight over the Kerbal Space Center launching flares.

  • With the right pilot, this bucket of bolts can go toe-to-toe with a fifth-gen fighter! the announcer below bragged.

Maverick buzzing the control tower, his signature feat of aerial tomfoolery.

Iceman Kerman splitting the throttle while the F-14 was flying near Mach 3 with the wings swept back.

  • Maverick had warned him that maneuverability was reduced in supercruise mode and with the wings swept, but Iceman thought he was lying.

hell nah, all the top gun references 💀 (also the mention of goose dying in a training accident is 100% acuratte lol)

That’s why I build these planes, I feel the need for speed.

Speed x Sylvia

Very nice! I feel like the nose/cockpit section is maybe a tad too short and you could give it some curve down (if you know what i mean) by clipping the mk1 cockpits together at a slight angle, which would make the nose point down slightly and give it a meaner, more badass look. I also highly recommend using a fairing nosecone in which you can fit a relay dish to act as a radar and add some detail. But overall a very neat little replica!

edit: this could also potentially fix the cockpit’s EVA obstruction issue.

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