Will the F-14 be able to carry A/G ordanance?

[Erab]

Will the F-14 be able to carry any A/G ordanance like rockets or bombs?

[Darkbrotherhood7]

Yes.

[Erab]

Yes.

 

What are we going to get?

[Darkbrotherhood7]

What are we going to get?

 

It still to be decided.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=142938

Q: Will Air-to-Ground Capability be included?

A: Yes; however the specific A2G and sensor capability that will be modeled is yet to be decided. You can note in the renders posted, that the BRU-32 bomb rack is mounted to the Phoenix pylons on the underside of the fuselage.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Darkbrotherhood7

[mattebubben]

its to be the Determined.

 

Depends on what F-14B they are making.

Its Air-Ground Capabilities will vary depending on if its an early or late F-14B.

 

(Edit: To slow)

[BlackLion213]

The Tomcat's operational A-G ordnance options were pretty narrow - basically iron bombs (Mk 82, 83, and 84 - rarely CBUs) and GBUs.

 

The LNS F-14B will definitely be able to carry iron bombs, CBUs, and GBUs as early renders from the announcement included the BRU-32 bomb racks mounted.

 

The important remaining question - will the F-14B be able to self designate GBUs with a LANTIRN pod or will it depend on buddy lasing.

 

Rockets, Mavericks, HARMS, or any guided A-G missiles were never operationally cleared for the F-14 so they won't be available for the LNS F-14B.

 

We are all waiting to hear if LANTIRN capability will be included.

 

Hope this helps. :)

 

-Nick

[Darkbrotherhood7]

The Tomcat's operational A-G ordnance options were pretty narrow - basically iron bombs (Mk 82, 83, and 84 - rarely CBUs) and GBUs.

 

The LNS F-14B will definitely be able to carry iron bombs, CBUs, and GBUs as early renders from the announcement included the BRU-32 bomb racks mounted.

 

The important remaining question - will the F-14B be able to self designate GBUs with a LANTIRN pod or will it depend on buddy lasing.

 

Rockets, Mavericks, HARMS, or any guided A-G missiles were never operationally cleared for the F-14 so they won't be available for the LNS F-14B.

 

We are all waiting to hear if LANTIRN capability will be included.

 

Hope this helps. :)

 

-Nick

 

Yeah, I really hope to LNS add the LANTIRN to the F-14B, but then they would have to make a new RIO cockpit(MFD installed after 1995), which I think complicated.

 

Actually, we don't know yet how is the LNS F-14B RIO cockpit, we just saw the F-14A RIO cockpit.

[near_blind]

Yeah, I really hope to LNS add the LANTIRN to the F-14B, but then they would have to make a new RIO cockpit(MFD installed after 1995), which I think complicated.

 

Not necessarily. The LANTIRN and Avionics (HUD/PTIDs) were two separate programs, and not mutually inclusive programs. F-14B squadrons could receive the LANTIRN upgrade without the new cockpits. I also know that particularly young F-14A frames got them as well (e.g. VF-154, VF-41), and as far as I know the avionics upgrades were never approved for the A models.

 

All of this would imply the old "Fishbowl" TID could display the LANTIRN image.

[BlackLion213]

Not necessarily. The LANTIRN and Avionics (HUD/PTIDs) were two separate programs, and not mutually inclusive programs. F-14B squadrons could receive the LANTIRN upgrade without the new cockpits. I also know that particularly young F-14A frames got them as well (e.g. VF-154, VF-41), and as far as I know the avionics upgrades were never approved for the A models.

 

All of this would imply the old "Fishbowl" TID could display the LANTIRN image.

 

Possible, it's hard to find definitive evidence.

 

Its also worth mentioning that the F-14B never really had any significant avionics upgrades. Even the F-14B Upgrade model was the addition of LANTIRN, Digital TARPS, large MFD replacing the PTID, and new improved data bus - but the existing avionics were essentially untouched. Excluding the databus (IIRC), these upgrades were applied to F-14As later.

 

Here is a VF-154 RIO cockpit from 2003:

 

 

It's Modex 104 (see "BKR 104" adjacent to the MFD) and in addition to the MFD you can see the upgraded ALR-67 RWR on the right of the cockpit. The F-14B and F-14A more more less aligned in terms of avionics/equipment by the Mid-90s.

 

Excluding the Sparrowhawk HUD (which really entered the fleet ~2002), the F-14A and F-14B underwent similar upgrades during the late 90s and early 2000s.

 

I think that the LANTIRN could project through the original PTID, though there was a doc (I think found by FWind) that showed that the new MFD was a requirement for LANTIRN integration. It seems that the MFD was likely present on all operational LANTIRN Tomcats, even if it was possible to use LANTIRN without it.

 

Also, at a very minimum, operating LANTIRN requires a sidestick hand controller that was mounted on the left side of the RIO cockpit (where the TARPS control panel is placed on TARPS jets). So even if the MFD is not "necessary", a LANTIRN equipped F-14B needs a different RIO cockpit from the F-14A.

 

None of these things preclude a LANTIRN equipped LNS F-14B, I don't think any of us know what the deciding factors will be.

 

There is still hope, whether on release or later.

 

-Nick

 

PS - I also favor the idea of a late-model F-14 "update package" for the LNS F-14 that would include LANTIRN, 3D model changes (GPS Antennae, gun vent changes), and cockpit changes for the late-90s/early-2000s F-14A and F-14B. I think it would be fun to be able to operate both aircraft in modern-ish conflicts (though the F-14A/A+ during the Cold War is still most intriguing for me).

 

I don't think my view on this is widely shared, but it would have advantages in terms of creating more sub-models in DCS for a specific time frame (late-90s/2000s vs mid-80s vs mid-90s). :)

Edited July 10, 2016 by BlackLion213

[Darkbrotherhood7]

Possible, it's hard to find definitive evidence.

 

Its also worth mentioning that the F-14B never really had any significant avionics upgrades. Even the F-14B Upgrade model was the addition of LANTIRN, Digital TARPS, large MFD replacing the PTID, and new improved data bus - but the existing avionics were essentially untouched. Excluding the databus (IIRC), these upgrades were applied to F-14As later.

 

Here is a VF-154 RIO cockpit from 2003:

 

 

It's Modex 104 (see "BKR 104" adjacent to the MFD) and in addition to the MFD you can see the upgraded ALR-67 RWR on the right of the cockpit. The F-14B and F-14A more more less aligned in terms of avionics/equipment by the Mid-90s.

 

Excluding the Sparrowhawk HUD (which really entered the fleet ~2002), the F-14A and F-14B underwent similar upgrades during the late 90s and early 2000s.

 

I think that the LANTIRN could project through the original PTID, though there was a doc (I think found by FWind) that showed that the new MFD was a requirement for LANTIRN integration. It seems that the MFD was likely present on all operational LANTIRN Tomcats, even if it was possible to use LANTIRN without it.

 

Also, at a very minimum, operating LANTIRN requires a sidestick hand controller that was mounted on the left side of the RIO cockpit (where the TARPS control panel is placed on TARPS jets). So even if the MFD is not "necessary", a LANTIRN equipped F-14B needs a different RIO cockpit from the F-14A.

 

None of these things preclude a LANTIRN equipped LNS F-14B, I don't think any of us know what the deciding factors will be.

 

There is still hope, whether on release or later.

 

-Nick

 

PS - I also favor the idea of a late-model F-14 "update package" for the LNS F-14 that would include LANTIRN, 3D model changes (GPS Antennae, gun vent changes), and cockpit changes for the late-90s/early-2000s F-14A and F-14B. I think it would be fun to be able to operate both aircraft in modern-ish conflicts (though the F-14A/A+ during the Cold War is still most intriguing for me).

 

I don't think my view on this is widely shared, but it would have advantages in terms of creating more sub-models in DCS for a specific time frame (late-90s/2000s vs mid-80s vs mid-90s). :)

 

Thanks for the info!:)

 

Would be very nice to have an F-14B capable to use JDAMs and using the SparrowHawk HUD.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Darkbrotherhood7

[near_blind]

Possible, it's hard to find definitive evidence.

...

 

Fascinating! :D

 

I had never heard the A's got PTIDs as well, thanks for that picture.

 

I don't think my view on this is widely shared, but it would have advantages in terms of creating more sub-models in DCS for a specific time frame (late-90s/2000s vs mid-80s vs mid-90s).

 

I'd love for this to happen, but you know what they say about putting carts before horses.

[Chrinik]

Correct me if I´m wrong...but wasn´t the RIOs Radar display a CRT-screen?

 

Wouldn´t that mean that the tube simply displays whatever signals it gets onto the screen, regardless of WHAT those signals are supposed to be?

 

Would that, in turn, mean that the screen could also display a LANTIRN image, albeit crudely or off-color? I mean, it´s not a color image, it´s B/W, and any single channel CRT can display any B/W image?

[Darkbrotherhood7]

Correct me if I´m wrong...but wasn´t the RIOs Radar display a CRT-screen?

 

Wouldn´t that mean that the tube simply displays whatever signals it gets onto the screen, regardless of WHAT those signals are supposed to be?

 

Would that, in turn, mean that the screen could also display a LANTIRN image, albeit crudely or off-color? I mean, it´s not a color image, it´s B/W, and any single channel CRT can display any B/W image?

Hmm, you may be right. But then again, It's hard to find any data.

[BlackLion213]

Correct me if I´m wrong...but wasn´t the RIOs Radar display a CRT-screen?

 

Wouldn´t that mean that the tube simply displays whatever signals it gets onto the screen, regardless of WHAT those signals are supposed to be?

 

Would that, in turn, mean that the screen could also display a LANTIRN image, albeit crudely or off-color? I mean, it´s not a color image, it´s B/W, and any single channel CRT can display any B/W image?

 

Yes, the LANTIRN was able to project an image on the original Tomcat PTID when they first started testing. The whole LANTIRN integration story is quite interesting as it was done on a VERY small budget and good fortune with compatibilities allowed the system to function with the Tomcat's existing avionics and some modest, previously tested additions.

 

However, it seems that every Tomcat that used the LANTIRN operationally had the MFD installed prior to deploying with LANTIRN, along with the necessary side-stick/hand controller.

 

I'm pretty sure that LANTIRN could project onto the original RIO PTID, but I'm also pretty sure that this didn't happen with operational aircraft - from what I've read.

 

I think its more a matter of what was done for operational aircraft as opposed to what was possible.

 

My 2 cents,

 

Nick

[Dudikoff]

Original F-14 Tomcat screen in question was called TID so perhaps it's better to use that term to reduce confusion.

 

Regarding projection of the LANIRN image on it, there was a discussion in one of the threads and there was a video posted from 1995 LANTIRN testing which showed a PTID so IIRC the conclusion was that it was not possible to interface LANTIRN with the TID screen (being a low resolution monochrome display, it's not that surprising).

Edited July 11, 2016 by Dudikoff

[BlackLion213]

Original F-14 Tomcat screen in question was called TID so perhaps it's better to use that term to reduce confusion.

 

Doh! :doh:

 

Sorry about that. :)

 

-Nick