The Super Tomcat
FROM THE SOUTHERN AIR IMPORT // COVER STORY · NOVEMBER 1986
THE SUPER TOMCAT
Grumman's next Tomcat may solve its most persistent weakness without changing the aircraft's familiar silhouette.
November 1986 · Aviation Intelligence · F-14A Plus · F110-GE-400
F-14A Tomcats of Fighter Squadron 142 in formation off the Virginia coast, May 1985. U.S. Navy photo.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has spent much of its career as one of the Navy's most capable, and most demanding, aircraft. Its long-range radar, Phoenix missile system and variable-sweep wings have made it a formidable fleet-defense fighter. Yet beneath the Tomcat's impressive reputation lies a problem that has followed the aircraft since its introduction: its engines.
The Pratt & Whitney TF30 turbofans have long been a source of concern. Compressor stalls, particularly during aggressive maneuvering, have restricted the freedom with which pilots can handle the aircraft. The problem is especially unwelcome in a fighter designed to intercept threats at long range and still survive a close engagement.
Grumman and the Navy now appear to have a solution.
The emerging F-14A Plus program replaces the original TF30 powerplants with a pair of General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofan engines. The new installation represents a substantial improvement in available thrust, while addressing one of the Tomcat's most persistent operational liabilities.
BY THE NUMBERS
- SEPT. 29 · First flight, Calverton, N.Y.
- 54 MIN. · Maiden flight
- 762 MPH · Top speed reported
- 35,000 FT · Altitude reached
- F110-GE-400 · Two, replacing the TF30
- NOV. 1987 · First production aircraft due
A VF-32 Tomcat goes to afterburner on the catapult in the Mediterranean, September 1986. The F110 should make that burner far less necessary. U.S. Navy photo.
POWER WITHOUT COMPROMISE
The F110 offers a significant increase in thrust over the TF30. This additional power is expected to improve acceleration, climb performance and recovery margins, while reducing the need to rely on afterburner during carrier catapult launches.
The implications extend beyond raw performance. A more responsive and reliable engine gives the pilot greater confidence when maneuvering at high angles of attack, where the TF30's shortcomings have historically been most troublesome.
Carrier operations stand to benefit as well. Additional thrust should improve the aircraft's ability to recover from an approach gone wrong, particularly during a single-engine emergency. For a fighter operating from a moving deck in the middle of the ocean, that is not a minor improvement.
Maintenance personnel may have reason to welcome the change just as enthusiastically as the pilots. The F110's design offers advantages in durability and servicing, potentially reducing the burden imposed by the existing powerplant.
MORE THAN AN ENGINE CHANGE?
The F-14A Plus should not be confused with the Navy's longer-term F-14D modernization effort. The two programs share a common direction, but they are not identical.
The Plus configuration is intended to bring the improved engine into service without waiting for the more extensive systems development associated with the F-14D. The latter is expected to incorporate a broader modernization of the aircraft's radar and avionics.
There are also indications that the Navy is examining improvements to the Tomcat's threat-warning equipment, communications and other supporting systems. The precise extent and configuration of these changes remain less certain than the engine replacement itself.
For the Navy, this staged approach offers an attractive proposition: improve the aircraft's most pressing weakness now, while continuing development of a more comprehensive upgrade for the future.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The first production F-14A Plus aircraft are expected to reach the Navy in November 1987. That timetable leaves considerable work ahead, including further flight testing and the transition from development aircraft to production-standard machines.
The Tomcat's future is therefore not a question of whether it can remain relevant, but how much more can be extracted from an airframe that still has considerable service life ahead of it.
“A familiar aircraft with a new heart.”
The F-14A Plus is not a new fighter. It is something arguably more practical: a familiar aircraft with a new heart.
If the F110 delivers on its promise, the Navy may finally have the Tomcat it originally wanted: a long-range interceptor with the power and reliability to exploit the full potential of its design.
The silhouette remains unchanged. The performance may not.
By The Southern Air Import Aviation Desk
FROM THE MANIFEST
SOUTHERN AIR IMPORT · NOVEMBER 1986 · AVIATION INTELLIGENCE
SOUTHERN AIR TRADE // THE MANIFEST