CheckGear

Someone mentioned in a different thread Heatblur's not doing an F-14D due to a lack of data. The A-6 is also off the table as a flyable aircraft; it'll be available in AI only.

Then I guess we're not getting the F-14D any time soon. I can live with an AI-only A-6E.

I mean, the Super Hornet is the one and only fighter in the Navy inventory, so it's relevance is rather unquestionable...:dunno: But again, feasibility comes first. If it's more feasible to have the Super Tomcat and Intruder first, I'm all for it.

Yes! The baddest strike aircraft the Navy ever had!!! A-6E Intruder SWIP!!!

So I was reading The Unseen War, a RAND Corp. analysis of the Iraqi Freedom air war (which I highly recommend) and came across some interesting numbers. Regarding the F-14's Fully Mission-Capable (FMC) statistics during the campaign: F-14A: 89% F-14B: 98% F-14D: 78% Honestly, I was shocked by these numbers. For all the talk of being a maintenance hog, the F-14A achieved a very high FMC. I was blown away by the F-14B's FMC (making me think Heatblur made the correct choice in releasing the B-variant first! :thumbup:) and surprised the Super Tomcat lagged so far behind. Can anyone provide context and insight into these numbers? What do you make of it? Even the Super Hornet didn't do as well as the F-14B (while still achieving 90%, nothing to scoff at). https://www.rand.org/pubs/commercial_books/CB533.html

Nealius, That stuff is photo-realistic!!!

I get it. If the F-14D's more feasible, then yeah, the Super Tomcat should come first. How'd they get the info for the Block 50/52 Falcon, then?

Anyone else think this mission is awesome? The atmosphere's incredible. The backstory is detailed and entirely plausible. I love the summer 1998 setting - it had me looking up and listening to "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith! Great authenticity as well - the USS John C. Stennis was very much deployed to the Persian Gulf during that time and VF-143 was one of two F-14B squadrons aboard! That said, as the F-14B module improves and further develops, I hope to see Operation Eclipse evolve as well. I'd personally like to see the following: - Have the F-14B fly CAP or escort. Arming the Tomcats with rockets just didn't make sense, if only for the fact they didn't use Tomcats in that fashion at the time and they'd probably use longer-ranged, heavier-payload, or stealth Air Force warplanes to strike an Iranian nuclear reactor. - On that note, make the mission bigger! This is a major operation, akin to Operation Desert Fox, which took place later that year IRL. - Place Stennis further out in the Gulf of Oman. It's operating too close to the Omani coastline and also too close to the Iranian coastline as well. - Switch from a dawn launch to a dusk launch. A mission like this should exploit U.S. advantages in night strike. - Include British and French warplanes. But the foundation's there for some great expansion!

Wonderful observations. Can't believe you still wrecked your Tomcat in the manner you described in 1.). :shocking: And I totally want an F-14D also, but, honestly, I want to see an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet before I see a Super Tomcat.

But they probably have no problem flying WWII planes. :lol:

Let's not forget to thank ED - after all, they started this whole thing with DCS: World and created the opportunity where Heatblur could develop and release such an unbelievable module in DCS: F-14B!!!

2. This. The Tomcat HUD seems almost useless compared to the HUDs of other fighters, almost redundant. It's bizarre looking at the HUD and no even knowing your altitude and airspeed and straight-up awkward having to look down and squint to see such important information like that.

1. The F110-GE-400 engines are the real deal. The fact you can launch from a carrier on military power only speaks volumes. It makes me eagerly anticipate DCS: F-14A that much more - I feel like the P&W TF30s are going to deliver a big-time reality check.:surprise: 2. The F-14 isn't a "flying truck." Not the B-variant, anyway. I'm still surprised at how maneuverable the aircraft really is. Perhaps the swing wings, the number of control surfaces, and the powerplant all play a role, but the F-14 seems like the most maneuverable plane in DCS. I'm sure a lot of that's perception, but I feel like I can do whatever I want with the plane. 3. That said, getting the aircraft to do exactly what you want is difficult. Even something like taxiing on the flight deck's challenging. A small bit of throttle is enough to get the F/A-18 moving, but the F-14 requires more throttle and it's easy to give it too much power. 4. The analog nature of the F-14 makes me nervous. I feel like there are so many more points of failure than a newer, digital aircraft. 5. The importance of attention to detail. I gave the plane too much trim once and nearly lost control of the aircraft after launch. I don't know if this is realism or a bug, but I made sure to set the trim precisely the next time. 6. I can understand why they retired the F-14 early. The analog nature of the plane would make maintenance challenging, but the lack of an APU and battery are also two big strikes against it. In a carrier environment, planes should be "self-sufficient" and the legacy and Super Hornets had the Tomcat beat in that regard. 7. But while it was here, it delivered plenty bang for the buck. The saying, "Jack of all trades, master at none" doesn't apply to the Tomcat. It was really good at literally everything. I think it was more useful as as an air-to-ground platform than an air-to-air fighter, honestly, but the point is, it could do it all. Thankfully, so can the Super Hornet.

DCS: F-14B has been everything I've dreamed it'd be and so much more. And it's actually nice to know it's an incomplete product - it means the best is still yet to come!

I'd love to see a Super Hornet one day as well. It's the Navy's only fighter aircraft! And I'd love for them to release both the single-seat E- and two-seat F-variants.

:lol: I just need to get a leather chair of the variety they have inside the squadron ready rooms!

"Island Style."

If it happened in real-life, it would've been a very newsworthy mission! Just seeing those planes take off into the dark skies, formation lights and burners lit, was just jaw-dropping.

This ought to help me deal with irregular sleeping hours on deployment as well as get me through briefings and mission planning.

The external lights will eventually come, no?

It's a single mission currently included with the F-16 module. It's the first one listed.

Whoever made this mission, YOU ARE THE BEST!!! The dawn setting was picture-perfect. Watching all those warplanes take off into the early morning sky, seeing that E-3 and KC-135 silhouetted against the sunrise, was electrifying. I felt like I was actually in a war! The backstory and mid-1990s setting was superb also. Exactly the kind of content I want to see! :thumbup:

I personally can't wait for the F-14A. It may not have been the "best" Tomcat, but it's certainly the classic Tomcat!

I was always curious when and why this became a thing. Up until the Gulf War, it seemed like only Sidewinders were carried on the wingtip pylons. Then in the mid-1990s or so, it seemed like they suddenly opted to have AMRAAMs there, even though Sparrows were never mounted in the same spot.

Can't wait for Forrestal and the F-14A! The A-variant is the classic Tomcat.