stuart666

That logic doesnt seem to have affected Mig21 sales at all.

Here is the best answer I can find to that question. Might have to turn the sound up a bit, its a bit low. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5x4YfKGWw4

There is a video on youtube with the Iranian guy who claimed (I dont disbelieve him, there is some evidence for it) to have shot down 3 Iraqi Mirages with one Phoenix. Anyway, he related he used a Hawk against a Mig29, I think he said it was a raid on Tehran or something. They both hit each other, he brought down the Mig, but the mig hit him, knocking out an engine and damaging a radome. So yes, they certainly used it. But that the Iranians now seem to use Phoenix airframes with Hawk innards says something about how successful they felt the integration was. I think I read somewhere it was fairly unstable when released from the airframe. Im really not sure its worth the devs efforts to introduce a weapon that was used so little and was withdrawn after the war. Sure, I would like to see it. But I think they have been generous enough. I dont expect it. One thought occurs. Supposedly under Iran/contra, the US supplied bomb racks to the Iranians. They never used them (because after all, who wants to use an F14 as a bomb truck), but presumably they still have them. Does that warrant inclusion of the bombing mode? I idly wonder if it was even fitted as an option when the aircraft was delivered. Again, its probably not worth the devs time, but its an interesting thing to think about all the same.

Its worth remembering, the Iranians, after the war with Iraq started, received weapons not only from America but also Israel. Im not sure exactlywhat they got, for the most part it was outmoded weapons the Israelis were getting rid of anyway, but its conceivable they might have had more advanced sparrows and Sidewinders than the book says by the end of the 1980's. According to once source, the Iranians also received bomb racks to they could carry bombs under the fuselage, though they never seem to have actually used them. They apparently received upgrade kits to convert their Aim54's into a more advanced version (im not sure quite what) and asked for many more kits than they had weapons for, presumably so they could make their own weapons. The Americans refused. TBH, if I was Heatblur, I would model it as it was delivered, not as it was later in the 1980's. As others have pointed out, when you go down the rabbit hole of modelling everything they hung on it, there is probably no stopping before insanity beckons.

For Topgun, yes, that was to teach BFM, so they emphaise how poor the weapons were to force you to go for rear aspect kills.During one exercise (earnest will? I cant remember) they cited the Tomcat as having a far larger PK than the Eagle, because the Tomcat could kill before it got to the merge, simply because of the radar/missile combination. There was one interesting Janes book that suggested in the latter half of the 1980's they were increasingly carrying at least one Phoenix to make use of this standoff capablity against fighters particularly as the Soviets were finally coming up with Jets that had a good forward aspect engagement capability. Ive read they could bring 6 phoenix back to the boat, but that to do so you would probably be rather tight on fuel to make the weight limit.

'The ashtray is full. Waaah!' :D

F-14A-95-GR: Early F-14A for IRIAF. These jets will have certain limitations and modifications, such as the lack of TCS and fuel pylons. F-14A-135-GR (Early): This will be an earlier representation of the F-14A, equipped with the ALR-45 RWR and will also come with a number of minor variations such as early gun vents, alternate de-fog systems, and other minor differences between late and early ALR-45 equipped F-14A’s. F-14A-135-GR (Late): This version represents a later, ALR-67 equipped F-14A. What complete and total rockstars these guys are.

Cheers Draconus.

Just thought I would add this, a new UK supermarket advert featuring the F14. I cant help but think they are aiming for a certain audience here..... ${1}

Re Hi Viz, its worth remembering that the CAG birds were usually brightly painted well into the 1990's. There is a very good book on the F14 you can find on kindle (great help building the Tamiya 1 32 scale one) and it shows for example, VF84, with almost exactly the same livery on the CAG bird towards the end of the 1980's. WIth smaller US insignia, and the white underside gone, but it was otherwise the same. OTOH, you cant make a realistic excuse for a group wearing it.

Whilst I love the F111 as much as any sane man, there is a problem that rather limits its potential in DCS. I dont believe we have a map big enough to make it worthwhile. This was an intermediate range bomber, that out of the UK could go all the way to Moscow if necessary. Im not seeing any maps (just maybe the Persian Gulf Map) that can use something with that kind of range halfway plausibly. The Tornado would be a better fit. At least till we get maps large enough to warrant it, then im all for someone having a bash at it.

Which Red Eagles book did you read, the Steve Davies one, or the other one by the former commander? Ive not read that one so I cant comment. The best guide you have is that there was no scheme is that none of its former aircraft have turned up in museums. And judging by the aircraft outside Soviet museums, they kept EVERYTHING. Many of the former USAF Constant Peg aircraft by contrast have turned up in museums. There is also a book by a Fulcrum pilot who defected in 1989 who gave a good description how the Air Force trained, and it was purely Mig against Mig. He describes a Soviet equivalent to Red Flag, even practicing atomic attacks, but not a mention of that. So if it did exist, it seems so few pilots flew in it that it has never received a mention in the literature. Reading how the Soviets operated, its unlikely they needed something like DACT. Their tactics were cooperative until the Mig29 arrived, and even then there wasnt they kind of fixation on dogfighting we associate with western training.

Yeah, the Soviets acquired a number of F5's from Vietnam that they tested in the USSR. It wasn't exactly comparable to Constant Peg, which was an ongoing effort to create a 'Redfor' as a parting of a training programme, for pilots to fly against. The Soviet effort really was comparable to US efforts to exploit the Mig15, Mig 17 and Mig 21 and learn the best way to combat it. Im not aware of them having acquired any other western types, but of course its possible. I dont know how they would calculate that. It may even be as simple as putting a high figure to the side of the project they wanted a lot of resources to combat, which sounds cynical but its not so different from how the Pentagon worked. As for missing pilots, that may have happened, though its far more likely that it would be to learn atomic weapons procedures than just aircraft performance. Their information on anything else would go out of date very quickly in any case.

There is at least one Iranian pilot, now living in the US, that claimed to have used the Hawk, and successfully shot down a Mig29 with it, so it seems to have been used in combat in at least a limited form. OTOH, it doesnt seem to have been a great success, and was withdrawn as you suggest. Ironically new build Iranian 'Phoenix' missiles seem to have Hawk internals. Which perhaps might suggest the problem was less the AWG9 talking to the Hawk, than the Hawks airframe causing stability problems when launched from a Tomcat. Either that, or they just got better at modding.

Yes, I read the same thing in a book the other day on the Iran/Iraq war, that Russian Test pilots were allowed to fly the F14A in Iran, in exchange for some weapons deal IIRC. They never left the country, and I doubt they ever had a chance to employ the weapons. Ive never seen anything official on it. For example, I didnt notice any documents relating to it on CIA FOIA website, and they usually note efforts to exploit allies weaponry. For example, there are some satellite photos of an Iranian Chieftain on trial in the USSR in 1982.

The Pentagon actually supplied the Iranians with Upgrade kits for their Phoenix's, and bomb racks for Tomcats. I think it possible they may well have given them the documentation to do other things too. That was part of Iran Contra I believe. Not that the Iranians were not smart enough to do it of course.

If you have a Logitech radio panel and DCS Bios, you can operate it via the panel if you have a Tomcat profile. Although with the present problems with the radio for the Tomcat, I cant say ive yet used it much.

Well if they want a quick spawn, there is always Vincenzio de Mayo. Did the devs ever say whether they were building her?

Whilst I can see the logic of that section of desert (not least because Iranian Tomcats cleaned Iraqs clocks there), Ideally Id like North Cape. Because youc an fly any of the Soviet jets there plausibly, because you can fly the F16, F18, F14, any carrier aircraft we can get there, and if you build the map with a bit of Sweden, you have some good operating locations for Viggen. Its lightly populated, its got fantastic terrain. The only extraordinary thing is they havent already committed to doing it yet. Id like Central front, but you couldnt do all of it. Even the Northern half you would have major cities like Hamburg, possibly even Copenhagen. Im not sure DCS can take that strain yet. The other alternative is a new version of Caucasus, featuring the Transcaucasus military district and Northern Turkey. Id pay for that happily, because its the next best thing to Central Front, and you can fly damn near anything you like there on both sides. So many good ideas, so little time. :)

I read recently they are trying to figure out how to hang SM2 missiles on F18E's to perform the fleet defence role. Why they are doing that rather than considering using Meteor's (which the RN/RAF is integrating with F35 anyway) is beyond me. NIH I suppose. The Navy has actually started design work on what is a new 'fighter', but it sounds like they want something like a long range FA18 than something specifically built for the Fleet Defence role. https://news.usni.org/2020/08/18/navy-quietly-starts-development-of-next-generation-carrier-fighter-plans-call-for-manned-long-range-aircraft

Im finding it wants to hold locks a lot better in TWS. I actually scored my first phoenix kill using TWS in multiplayer the other day, absolutely unheard of up till now. OK, so it was one kill out of 3, but there was a close pass on another and the proximity fuse didnt goe off. Which suggest that there is a DCS rather than F14 problem there somewhere. Its improved, keep doing what you are doing fellas.

I think a lot of it was perhaps due to it being one of the first microchip aircraft. Supposedly the M551, which also had a lot of electronics in it, had continual problems with the circuit boards delaminating, a problem I think I read was comparable in the F111. Add to that being out in the elements off the North Cape and landing in salt water splashed decks, its not surprising it wore out. What is surprising is any A models survived to conversions to D's, so I guess it cant have been that wore out. I dont think the motors were so much the problem, as not investing in an electronic engine control system as was eventually fitted much earlier.There doesnt strike me as much logical reason why that wasnt done, other than they were perhaps saving pennies to get the B model engines.... I think it was a more effective combat aircraft than the F15. The F15 got far more kills. OTOH when you read the Iraqi's were running away every time they picked on an AWG9 on their threat warning receiver, that really to me says something about the aircrafts capablities. He who subdues his oponent without fighting shows the height of skill. Or something like that.

This one looks beautiful. So refreshing to see an F14 the USN didnt vandalize before putting it in a museum.