-95-GR and Aim-7F/M

[mettschnitte]

We know the 95-GR was only produced 2 years after production started on the Aim-7F. Can we get any information on how these early variants were equipped?

My initial research was lead by the fact that our later tomcats have the SP PD switch for pulse-doppler or cw use with Aim-7F and M. The F was only released into production by 1975. Our late 135 variant probably came from the factory with this switch and the ability to use aim-7F and possibly M to its full potential, but i cannot say the same for the 95. Because it's such an unnessecary switch, there is not a lot of information on the internet and most of that even assuptions.

[DSplayer]

I'm looking at my 1972 version of the NAVAIR 01-F14A-1 and it looks like that MSL Options switch is there with the SP PD option. There's also like super old promotional footage of the F-14 when it was first being introduced and some of them have RIO scenes that show the MSL Options switch with a SP PD option. So I think our Block 95 will have a SP PD option on its MSL Options switch.
 

Here's some:

 

 

[LanceCriminal86]

The -95 we are projected to get only, currently, represents an Iranian contract jet. In themselves those had some features removed and they apparently did not end up receiving Navy Sparrows, so the question about -95GR and AIM-7F might be moot.

 

The projected "earlier" USN jet is still the -135, just in the 80s factory configuration with ALR-45/50 instead of ALR-67 and no Lantirn.

The "early" external is probably going to be limited to adjusting antennas to ALR-45 types only and the older gun vents. In some form the TCS options may open up for the "bullet" aero housing when TCS is not equipped.

Whether my wish list of mountable/removable ALQ-126 and TCS happens is going to somewhat determine if you can at least visually represent and simulate the older blocks, but there's a lot of work being done for more priority needs so no idea how it's going to shape up. But an ALQ-100 only setup and removable fuel pylons have not been promised at all, nor a perfect 1:1 recreation of the Iranian jets, more of a bonus option to allow some player experience around the Iran-Iraq war or more modern scenarios on Persian Gulf.

[RustBelt]

Did I miss something? When was there talk of a -95? I thought the scope was Early -135 (including a mock of the Iranian exports), Late -135, and the initial “B” which is really an A+ because they probably never made a NEW B with a fishbowl TID. Our B is almost certainly a refit A.

[lunaticfringe]

They delivered new Ds with the fishbowl; there were new Bs with it, too.

[Swordsman422]

53 minutes ago, RustBelt said:

and the initial “B” which is really an A+ because they probably never made a NEW B with a fishbowl TID. Our B is almost certainly a refit A.

The F-14B was called the F-14B before the advent of LANTIRN and PTID. The F-14A+ production ended in 1990 and it was redesignated F-14B on 1 May, 1991. The first LANTIRN upgrades were made in testing in March of 1995. So there were NEVER new F-14Bs delivered with the PTID. As with the F-14A, they were upgraded with it as they received LANTIRN capability.

[LanceCriminal86]

1 hour ago, Swordsman422 said:

The F-14B was called the F-14B before the advent of LANTIRN and PTID. The F-14A+ production ended in 1990 and it was redesignated F-14B on 1 May, 1991. The first LANTIRN upgrades were made in testing in March of 1995. So there were NEVER new F-14Bs delivered with the PTID. As with the F-14A, they were upgraded with it as they received LANTIRN capability.

And PTID was separately happening in 1995, one of the VX-9 jets that was a former VF-74 camo jet may have been the first PTID Tomcat as part of that program. PTID was originally because the old TIDs were becoming harder to read and burning out.

IF we can somehow get modular/pod style ALQ-126 and TCS, then we could pretty well mimic the older -95 jets. Run the earlier jet with an ALQ-100 and no extra jammers and you basically have your '81 shootdown and Final Countdown jets, slap a TCS and you have an '89 shootdown jet, and add the ALQ-126 and you have most of the jets that were brand new in the early/mid 80s and onwards.

[RustBelt]

2 hours ago, Swordsman422 said:

The F-14B was called the F-14B before the advent of LANTIRN and PTID. The F-14A+ production ended in 1990 and it was redesignated F-14B on 1 May, 1991. The first LANTIRN upgrades were made in testing in March of 1995. So there were NEVER new F-14Bs delivered with the PTID. As with the F-14A, they were upgraded with it as they received LANTIRN capability.

God you need a damn astrolabe to keep track of the Tomcat production timeline. 

1 hour ago, LanceCriminal86 said:

And PTID was separately happening in 1995, one of the VX-9 jets that was a former VF-74 camo jet may have been the first PTID Tomcat as part of that program. PTID was originally because the old TIDs were becoming harder to read and burning out.

IF we can somehow get modular/pod style ALQ-126 and TCS, then we could pretty well mimic the older -95 jets. Run the earlier jet with an ALQ-100 and no extra jammers and you basically have your '81 shootdown and Final Countdown jets, slap a TCS and you have an '89 shootdown jet, and add the ALQ-126 and you have most of the jets that were brand new in the early/mid 80s and onwards.

Those are some, high octane "If's" there.

[LanceCriminal86]

 

3 hours ago, RustBelt said:

God you need a damn astrolabe to keep track of the Tomcat production timeline. 

Break it down like this:

A

- OG batches, 60GR-75GR up through '73. Test/Eval squadrons, VF-124, VF-1/2. Gahbage IRSTs, different beaver tails and big reinforcement before being changed.

- Main production A, 80GR-end of 110GR in '81. Added a nose probe in 90GR. Includes your Final Countdown/1st Sidra jets (-90 and -95s from VF-41 and 84), Top Gun jets, and 2nd Sidra jets (an -85 and -90GR).

- Late production A, end of 110GR- in around '81 to last 140GR As delivered in 1988 to VF-201 and VF-202. Added jammers by intakes/glove and new beaver tail with jammer antenna. The bulk of the jets that survived to OEF/OIF and got LANTIRN etc.

1996+, trickle down of upgrades similar to B, LANTIRN, PTIDS through '98/'99, DFCS and ALR-67 by 2001.

A+ / B / B (U)

- First new and converted A+ around '86, VX-4 and testing through '88. 24, 211, 74, 103, 142, 143 start converting around '88-'90. Basically A with GE engines, new jammers, and new ALR-67 RWR.

- Name changed in '91 to "B". That's about it.

- B (UPGRADE) through 90s into 00s, various upgrades and phases for things like digital BUS, A2G, Lantirn, PTID, DFCS, GPS/JDAM, HUD.

D

Built or converted from As, 1990-1993. That's basically it. Got PTIDs as A/B squadrons converted or shut down, got GPS/JDAM around 2002 cause already a digital jet.

 

Two good resources: Mike Crutch's CVW Volume One book/PDF, breaks down each BuNO and its squadron history with exceptions being the RAG and non-line squadrons. But you can sometimes see if they went to or from there. It's a good way to figure out when jets from those "blocks" hit the fleet squadrons. Second is this site:

https://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/us/usn/fighter/gar14adiff.htm

 

3 hours ago, RustBelt said:

Those are some, high octane "If's" there.

They are some big IFs, but ones that didn't necessarily receive an immediate "no" when asking if possible or to be considered. Animation argument would be one way, but making them both pods means like the Lantirn you could actually have them tied to the functions. Maybe if I send IronMike and Cobra enough snacks and pint size hookers it could happen, who knows. They have to add the ALQ-126 anyways, easier to add than remove.

[DSplayer]

2 hours ago, LanceCriminal86 said:

Maybe if I send IronMike and Cobra enough snacks and pint size hookers it could happen, who knows. 

Pretty interesting proposition. Maybe if we do that we can get every single wishlist feature regarding the Tomcat added. 

[RustBelt]

13 hours ago, LanceCriminal86 said:

 

Break it down like this:

A

- OG batches, 60GR-75GR up through '73. Test/Eval squadrons, VF-124, VF-1/2. Gahbage IRSTs, different beaver tails and big reinforcement before being changed.

- Main production A, 80GR-end of 110GR in '81. Added a nose probe in 90GR. Includes your Final Countdown/1st Sidra jets (-90 and -95s from VF-41 and 84), Top Gun jets, and 2nd Sidra jets (an -85 and -90GR).

- Late production A, end of 110GR- in around '81 to last 140GR As delivered in 1988 to VF-201 and VF-202. Added jammers by intakes/glove and new beaver tail with jammer antenna. The bulk of the jets that survived to OEF/OIF and got LANTIRN etc.

1996+, trickle down of upgrades similar to B, LANTIRN, PTIDS through '98/'99, DFCS and ALR-67 by 2001.

A+ / B / B (U)

- First new and converted A+ around '86, VX-4 and testing through '88. 24, 211, 74, 103, 142, 143 start converting around '88-'90. Basically A with GE engines, new jammers, and new ALR-67 RWR.

- Name changed in '91 to "B". That's about it.

- B (UPGRADE) through 90s into 00s, various upgrades and phases for things like digital BUS, A2G, Lantirn, PTID, DFCS, GPS/JDAM, HUD.

D

Built or converted from As, 1990-1993. That's basically it. Got PTIDs as A/B squadrons converted or shut down, got GPS/JDAM around 2002 cause already a digital jet.

 

But then there’s all the converted jets, and the upgrades, and the Squadron specials/franken-planes. Each it’s own deadly little snowflake. 

[RustBelt]

13 hours ago, LanceCriminal86 said:

They are some big IFs, but ones that didn't necessarily receive an immediate "no" when asking if possible or to be considered. Animation argument would be one way, but making them both pods means like the Lantirn you could actually have them tied to the functions. Maybe if I send IronMike and Cobra enough snacks and pint size hookers it could happen, who knows. They have to add the ALQ-126 anyways, easier to add than remove.

Problem is some of those IFs are the core visual model. Which is immutable for all intents and purposes. Perhaps if an F-14 2.0 gets made in the future it may be done, but like fuel pylons. If it’s baked into the mesh, it’s not changing anymore for this product. 
 

Because there’s always some chin pod, they may find a way of cheating it without remaking the mesh. But if so, assume a lot of “mesh error I can see inside the nose from outside” reports. 

11 hours ago, DSplayer said:

Pretty interesting proposition. Maybe if we do that we can get every single wishlist feature regarding the Tomcat added. 

If you funded Heatblur to make a version 2.0 of the Tomcat you can probably get whatever you want. Especially if your pockets are deep enough to get your hands on the full -1A NAVAIR sections of the B, B(U), and D.

With enough money anything is possible no matter how badly conceived. Just look at Elon Musk.

[LanceCriminal86]

This stuff is getting looked at though, the ALQ-126 are an essential item and were always going to be added. It's not an F-14 2.0 issue, it's racking and stacking through art team priorities for fixing broken things first (which are being done), then features that needed to be added, and from there what additions or changes can be done without excessive man-hours.

The early gun vents were getting done anyways. The ALQ-126 had to be added anyways and might at least be an on/off argument somewhere. And even if we don't get a modular TCS option or the ALQ-100 only, at least the ALQ-126 on/off option means we still can represent the newer and older jets from the 80s by the point where at least deployed squadrons had TCS.

4 hours ago, RustBelt said:

But then there’s all the converted jets, and the upgrades, and the Squadron specials/franken-planes. Each it’s own deadly little snowflake. 

The converted jets are are just a B or D, they're not different or special really except they may show the closed up glove vanes. That's it. The Upgrades were somewhat spread out but if you spend a few minutes, pretty easy to figure out. And I have no idea what you are talking about with "squadron specials" or frankenplanes.