Persian Bombcats on the way ! (F-14 upgrade program)

[haman10]

After Updating the F-14A of the IRIAF to F-14AM standard , iran is now upgrading them to a whole new standard : the Persian Bombcats .

F-14AM :

According to latest news here , a new iranian radar (as predicted before ) is going to be used instead of AWG-9 radars in the new bombcats which gives them the capability to engage Ground targets as well as Aerial targets .

the upgrades can be put in 3 catagories : 1- avionics 2-missiles 3-engine

1- The new radar is designed based on AWG-9 and has been digitalized (the same thing that happened in APG-71 radar ) . its range and tracing capabilities have also been extended . the AWG-9 does NOT have the capability of engaging ground targets which has been fixed in the iranian version .

Also , the 2 old processors (CPUs) of the AWG-9 has been replaced with new and state-of-the-art ones .

Persian Bombcats are going to enjoy new MFDs (multi-function display) as well , which reduces the work load of pilots .

2- They are capable of using Fakour A-A missile with 200KM range and maghsoud missile with 300+ KM range and R-27 Alamo with 130km range under a project named toofan.

3- the engines of F-14 has been upgraded with APUs (Auxillary power units) to boost its performance in tight maneuvers . the engines have all been overhauled by HESA company in Isfehan city .


Then new Bombcats will be used as a multi-role fighter as it can be used as :

1- long-range interceptor

2-Bomber : the bombcats are capable of firing ATGMs and precise-bombing the living SHIZZAM outta our enemies .

====================================

Pics :

Fakour (AIM-54 A+ ) :

F-14AM :

AWG-9 radar :

www.mashreghnews.ir

GODSPEED IRIAF !!

@SOHEIL @rahi2357 @New @Serpentine @kollang @Arminkh @Daneshmand @mohsen and others

 

[kollang]

Excellent news!!

F-14 + Air to Ground capabilities+ Digital cockpit = 4.5 + Gen fighter

 

[C130]

how much is life is left on the airframe?

these birds are what 30+years old?

 

[haman10]

how much is life is left on the airframe?

Many , they are checked out with X-rays and are refurbished completely . F-14s are probably the most combat-ready fighter iran is in possession right now .

this was completely different a few years back , the whole fleet was almost grounded due to lack of parts . but we changed everything now

these birds are what 30+years old?

not at all , how can a bird like this work for 40 years ?

all the parts were changed

 

[C130]

Many , they are checked out with X-rays and are refurbished completely . F-14s are probably the most combat-ready fighter iran is in possession right now .

this was completely different a few years back , the whole fleet was almost grounded due to lack of parts . but we changed everything now


not at all , how can a bird like this work for 40 years ?

all the parts were changed

talking about the airframe.
did you build a whole knew airframe??

why not just build new F-14s then

 

[Daneshmand]

how much is life is left on the airframe?

these birds are what 30+years old?

Actually these F-14 had been built per US Navy standards, designed for harsh aircraft carrier landings and operating in corrosive sea environment. Since Iran has been using them in dry conditions of Iran with normal landing procedures, they are still operable and will remain so for a while longer (with upgrades/overhauls).

 

[1000]

@C130 what happened to America's F-14's.

I heard that they were all dismantled, why though when they could sell those aircraft ? With it's long range AIM-54 they would be very capable, today as well.

 

[Daneshmand]

why not just build new F-14s then

I do not think that is a good idea. Maybe copying a few airframes to learn engineering aspects of it and using it as a learning platform would be all that is worth. F-14 is not a kind of design to invest in for long term ambitions. Eventually for Iran designs such as Su-35 or T-50 make much more sense. In absence of these a smaller locally designed and mass produced fighter would be a better idea. At any rate, Iran's policy as of now is to develop ground based defenses which are cheaper and also require less technology.

@C130 what happened to America's F-14's.

I heard that they were all dismantled, why though when they could sell those aircraft ? With it's long range AIM-54 they would be very capable, today as well.

They shredded them and entire spare part production units were destroyed. So that Iran could not get any spare parts even from black market.

 

[C130]

@C130 what happened to America's F-14's.

I heard that they were all dismantled, why though when they could sell those aircraft ? With it's long range AIM-54 they would be very capable, today as well.

shredded so no spare parts would end up in Iran.
F-14 was and still is a capable jet. think it was kinda dumb to chose the F-18 over the F-14, but they thought it would be cheaper to go with the F-18 which really wasn't the case.

F-14 super tomcat will never happen now


TOP GUN Day Special: The Super Tomcat That Was Never Built

 

[haman10]

talking about the airframe.
did you build a whole knew airframe??

why not just build new F-14s then

cause replacing parts step by step costs much less than building new airframes

any more questions ?

shredded so no spare parts would end up in Iran.

you guys don't have any self-confidance

if iran is powerful enough to take parts outta your stashes and export them to herself , then kudos to us

 

[kollang]

talking about the airframe.
did you build a whole knew airframe??

why not just build new F-14s then

We can not make a state of art engine for such a plane.we are yet to make J-85 and J-90 for now.

 

[haman10]

We can not make a state of art engine for such a plane.

Yeah and that too , we can overhaul them but producing new ones is still in process .

tooye een akshaee k pakhsh shode bood sale 86-87 neveshte bood 33% complete age eshtebah nakonam , asan motmaen nistam

 

[kollang]

Yeah and that too , we can overhaul them but producing new ones is still in process .

tooye een akshaee k pakhsh shode bood sale 86-87 neveshte bood 33% complete age eshtebah nakonam , asan motmaen nistam

I have seen that, mate. It was in a museum alike building inside Tehran Air show complex (located beside Ekbatan) and those percents were all put out of their ***.trust me.

Even regular IRIAF and defence ministry persnols are clueless about such things.leave alone people like us.

 

[The SC]

Super Tomcat

The design work on the advanced versions of the Grumman F-14 began as early as 1987 and should bring the F-14 design beyond the limits of the F-14D since the growth potential of the F-14 was not yet reached. And therefore, the Super Tomcats were developed as an alternative to a navalized ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter). But, the Super Tomcats were never more than design concepts or scale models.

The first step into the future was the F-14D Quickstrike. It would have featured an improved APG-71 radar with new modes for air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes and modifications for more stand-off weapons like the Harpoon, HARM and SLAM (Standoff Land Attack Missile) missiles.

Even though the F-14D Quickstrike did not meet the Navy's requirements for range and payload (as specified for the ATF), it did come closer than anything else, especially the F/A-18E/F. There is another major difference between the F-14D Quickstrike and the F/A-18E/F: The development costs! The F-14D Quickstrike needed only software changes and some internal modifications, nothing more. The F/A-18E/F is nearly a complete new airframe with consequently high development costs.

The next design-step should have been the ST21. ST21 stands for Super Tomcat for the 21st Century. It was an revolutionary upgrade of the existing F-14D model. The most obvious modification was the new glove area: Instead of the retractable glove-vanes of the A model, the glove was enlarged to take the place of the extended glove-vane. This modification should enhance the supersonic flight characteristics as well as the dogfighting capabilities. Additionally, this modification would have solved the structural problems in the glove area.

Another very obvious modification was a newly introduced single piece windscreen. This would have given the pilot a much better frontsight compared to the relatively restricted view of todays Tomcats.

Further aerodynamic improvements were revised wing leading edges and a Fowler flap system.

Finally, the last visible modification were navigation and attack FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Sensors). The pods for this sensors found their place in the forward Phoenix rail fairings, which until then housed the oil cooling system for the AIM-54A missile. Since this cooling system is no more needed for the B and C missile, weight was saved by deleting it and a place for the new pods was free.

The ST21 could have been equipped with an upgraded version of the F110 engine, the F110-GE-429. These engines would have given extra thrust and even more fuel efficiency: The engines puts out 29,000 to 30,000 lbs of thrust each in maximum afterburner.

All the above mentioned modifications, including lighter avionics and engines, accounted for an increase in empty weight of 1,000 lbs and in gross weight of some 2,000 lbs. Structural changes in the glove allowed an extra 2,200 lbs of fuel in each glove while saving structural weight in the newly designed glove. This would increase the ST21s internal fuel quantity to 18,500 lbs! Further, the bringback capability increased from 9,000 lbs (F-14D) to some 16,000 lbs while the approach speed dropped 15 knots due to the new glove and wing design. The ST21 could launch at gross weight with a 7 knot tail wind on the deck.

As well as the F-14D Quickstrike, the ST21 is just an upgrade, that means any of the already existing F-14Ds could have been remanufactured to ST21 standard at consequently low costs!

As developed by Grumman engineers, the next step could have been the AST21 (Attack Super Tomcat 21st Century). The AST21 is simply a more attack-oriented model of the ST21 and was thought to be an alternative for the navalized ATF. Modifications on the AST21 are nuclear weapons capability, bomb stores under the engine nacelles (normally used for external fuel tanks) and a FAC (Forward Air Controller) mode modification to the radar system. Also, the TCS and IRST would be made removeable to save weight in the air-to-ground role. If needed for air-to-air scenarios, they could be easily fitted and give the AST21 a full air-to-air suite.

Additional armoring for the crew area and an Integrated Defensive Avionics Package (IDAP) were planned for the AST21, too. And since bombs would generally be carried in the tunnel, the AST21 would retain fighter-like maneuverability unlike any other attack aircraft. Again, the AST21 could be remanufactured by rebuilding existing F-14Ds.

The final upgrade could have been the ASF-14 (Advanced Strike Fighter). While the F-14D Quickstrike, ST21 and AST21 would have preserved as much of the basic F-14 design and systems as possible, the ASF-14 would have only looked like an F-14. It would have taken full advantage of the new ATF and ATA (Advanced Tactical Attack Aircraft) technologies. But the ASF-14 would have been a lot more expensive to develope than the ST21 (but still a lot cheaper than the F/A-18E/F) and it wouldn't have had that much more warfighting capabilities than the ST21. Remanufacturing would not have been possible, all ASF-14s would have been new aircraft. Therefore, the ST21 or AST21 would have been the more probable aircraft

HOME OF M.A.T.S. - The most comprehensive Grumman F-14 Reference Work - by Torsten Anft!


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[IrbiS]

You guys should get 'Combat Aircraft Monthly - October 2013' containing article on IRIAF tomcats by Babak Taghvaee