F-14A of 70's Vs F-14A of 90's Vs F-14A Iranian

lol

Well, I guess HB should go ahead and cancel the A since you will never use it!

Speak for you ;)

judging by what weve got ( mid 90s F14B) and that we know going to get a late 80s F14A......

1970s classic cats are not something making it in unless its a DLC

I'm still all for a mid-90's F-14A. I love the Tomcat in any period, but with a contemporary to the B, we don't lose anything.

70s A version with high visibility camos like US Navy in Vietnam.

It would be suitable for cold war fleet defense scenarios, for ACEVAL/AIMVAL scenarios, for Iran/Iraq war scenarios as Iranian version with only some small modifications.

Contrary - 90s A would be just identical to B, simply less capable downgrade because of weaker engines.

Being a plane from 1970s it would be "excused" that it is so old school and analog, in 70s Tomcat was very much modern.

What do you actually lose from a 90's F-14A? If you don't like the bombcat part of a late A, don't use that capability. People are slapping high-vis 70's liveries on F-14Bs that never had them. They can do the same with a late F-14A and be only slightly inaccurate instead of woefully. It can still be a perfectly capable fleet defense fighter. I'd rather have it at its most flexible and not use the capabilities I don't care about.

Any news ?

Any news about the F-14A ?

Some of us buy the module for get only the F-14A variant..

And yes most of the community prefer the F-14A of 70's !

:)

70s A version with high visibility camos like US Navy in Vietnam.

 

It would be suitable for cold war fleet defense scenarios, for ACEVAL/AIMVAL scenarios, for Iran/Iraq war scenarios as Iranian version with only some small modifications.

 

 

Contrary - 90s A would be just identical to B, simply less capable downgrade because of weaker engines.

 

 

Being a plane from 1970s it would be "excused" that it is so old school and analog, in 70s Tomcat was very much modern.

 

Gimmie that sweet 70's kitteh

What do you actually lose from a 90's F-14A? If you don't like the bombcat part of a late A, don't use that capability. People are slapping high-vis 70's liveries on F-14Bs that never had them. They can do the same with a late F-14A and be only slightly inaccurate instead of woefully. It can still be a perfectly capable fleet defense fighter. I'd rather have it at its most flexible and not use the capabilities I don't care about.

Some of the electronics (mostly ECM and maybe RWW) and possibly the ARI? But it also depends on how back into the 70's you go. If you go back enough, then the tenancy of your turbine blade combusting or engine spontaneously blowing up goes higher. Also wing stiffeners. But i don't know if these were ever on operational Cats.

Personally, I'd go with the late 80s-early 90s F-14A. The two other options are practically the same. The Navy F-14s from the 1970s and the Iranian F-14s from the 80s are nearly identical because the Iranian birds are slightly modified Block 90 and 95 F-14As produced FY75-76 and delivered between January 1976 and late 1977. The major differences between an Iranian F-14 and a Block 90 Navy Tomcat were that the Iranian cats were not equipped with the AN/ARA-62 ILS, the secure voice radios, or the compatibility with the early (garbage) IRST system. The IFF interrigator could only interrogate Soviet-designed aircraft, and the AIM-54A delivered had a slightly downgraded ECCM suite.

One of the things a player might notice in a late 80s-early 90s F-14A that would not be in either of the 70s options (Navy or IIAF/IRIAF) is that the Sidewinder seekerhead position is not shown on the HUD for the early models. Addition of the gun pipper symbol to show where the Sidewinder was looking wasn't implemented until 1985, well after the revolution. Depending on the production block modeled, your early Navy F-14 might not have automatically deployed maneuver flaps/slats, which were first implemented in Block 90 airframes produced during FY75 and delivered starting January 1976. Neither would have the TCS pod, either, so your long-range VID capability won't be there. TCS/TVSU was tested during the mid-70s (especially during ACEVAL/AIMVAL), but didn't get brought to the fleet until the early-to-mid 1980s (going from memory they started to become available in 1981 and installations were completed around 1985-6).

As it has already been said, a 1970s F-14 doesn't offer the player many options for gameplay, either. The Tomcat at that time was straight air-to-air. It had a rudimentary air-to-ground capability installed in anticipation for USMC deliveries, but when they dropped out it wasn't fleshed out for another 20 years. Even TARPS wasn't fielded until the 1980s, so you'd be limited to only CAP/Sweep/Intercept/Escort, with no air-to-ground or recon options.

Still another thing to remember is that the Iranian F-14s are limited to the Vietnam-era AIM-7E and AIM-9E/J/P family missiles (Iran didn't use the D/G/H of the Navy, and never received the AIM-7F or 9L). Bear that in mind for multi-player purposes. An early Navy Tomcat would have a comparable loadout until around 1976-77, where the 7F and 9L would start to become available.

This is getting a little into the weeds, but I bring it up because the aircraft wasn't uniform across time in either loadout, role, or avionics for that matter. While it is true that airframe changes and retrofits brought earlier production blocks up to the same standards as later blocks, if you're targeting a specific production block, bear in mind you won't have the same capabilities or systems that you see later on. If you're already complaining about the HUD, then you lose your S/W seekerhead position, that'll probably just turn you off even more. If you're already complaining about relative missile performance, start fighting with Vietnam-era Sparrows and rear-aspect Sidewinders and see how far you get. If you're relying heavily on TCS for VID due to datalink limitations, you won't have that either. If HB does indeed release an IRIAF F-14A, which I thought they had planned on, you'll see this anyway atop the TF-30s instability.

I'd personally be okay with any of these options because I'm okay with the earlier technology, but as I opened with, I'd prefer a 1990s F-14A just to have the assortment of roles, comparable avionics (the ALR-67 display will be missed), and more modern air-to-air missiles available if I'm flying against a more modern threat. But, I will continue to break accuracy by putting high-viz livery on the late F-14A...I already do on the B.

Some of the electronics (mostly ECM and maybe RWW) and possibly the ARI? But it also depends on how back into the 70's you go. If you go back enough, then the tenancy of your turbine blade combusting or engine spontaneously blowing up goes higher. Also wing stiffeners. But i don't know if these were ever on operational Cats.

You understood my question in reverse, but this is exactly my point. The 90's F-14A is not less capable than the 70's version. It's able to perform a wider variety of missions. People who want a pre-Bombcat jet can just ignore the ground attack capability and just focus on the original mission. Those of us who like the ground attack capability can't use it in a 70's or 80's Tomcat. The 90's jet will serve everyone.

You understood my question in reverse, but this is exactly my point. The 90's F-14A is not less capable than the 70's version. It's able to perform a wider variety of missions. People who want a pre-Bombcat jet can just ignore the ground attack capability and just focus on the original mission. Those of us who like the ground attack capability can't use it in a 70's or 80's Tomcat. The 90's jet will serve everyone.

Yeah but whats the point if its a B version with crappier engines? You already have a bombcat.

I'd like the earlier A's with crappier RWRs etc for earlier scenarios and to have something with a bit more "parity" to the various mid 70's redfor we have/will get. And yes, they didn't carry bombs, but we already have a StrikeCat that can do passable F111 imitations :).

The point of it is an A-version that can do all the A version ever could. And the F-14A still had some operational advantages over the B and D. It's lower base weight meant it had more bringback, so it could be configured as a quad bomber where the B and D were limited to 2 or 3 GBUs. Plus at the end, the F-14A still made up a 3rd of the fleet squadrons.

The older F-14s were pretty limited to blue water operations. Just look at how much they contributed to Desert Storm and why. They couldn't independently deconflict and suitcase the ROE like the F-15s could and had to use commercial fuzzbusters to handle the potential SAM threats.

Considering the sim, DCS doesn't yet have a particularly complex electronic environment. That crappy old RWR for parity won't mechanically be much different. And if we're being true to life, Tomcat crews of the 1970s and 80s never expected to go feet dry anyway.

Heatblur is going to give us the version they give us, and no amount of debating or polling is going to alter that. I honestly hope that we eventually get both, because I'd like to face off against Iranian Block 90s but considering what the mechanics of DCS right now would mean for the differences between the late and early F-14As, the contemporary of the B we already have makes the most sense. We don't lose anything that way. And yes, while it can also carry bombs, we already have a Tomcat that can also do a hell of a job as a fleet defense fighter.

I do have a doubt:

Does anyone know if the "Full upgraded F-14A of 90's" ever had a visible moving search pattern for the AIM-9 reticle (seekerhead) at the HUD ?

Yes I'm refering to the symbol which was introduced in 1985, that we currently have with the F-14B, but currently is "stuck" at the HUD until "uncage" command is given.

Yeah but whats the point if its a B version with crappier engines? You already have a bombcat.

 

I'd like the earlier A's with crappier RWRs etc for earlier scenarios and to have something with a bit more "parity" to the various mid 70's redfor we have/will get. And yes, they didn't carry bombs, but we already have a StrikeCat that can do passable F111 imitations :).

+1

I don't want a F-14A copy past from F-14B !

We need old fighters for more scenarios and if payers don't want playing a old F-14A harcore, they can fly with F-14B

Yeah but whats the point if its a B version with crappier engines? You already have a bombcat.

 

I'd like the earlier A's with crappier RWRs etc for earlier scenarios and to have something with a bit more "parity" to the various mid 70's redfor we have/will get. And yes, they didn't carry bombs, but we already have a StrikeCat that can do passable F111 imitations :).

So you would be satisfied with that? :pilotfly:

Would be pretty intresting to fight against Mig21 in a realistic scenario...

Thats prototype #12, not a fleet aircraft.

I know, just wanted to be puristic ;).

+1

 

I don't want a F-14A copy past from F-14B !

We need old fighters for more scenarios and if payers don't want playing a old F-14A harcore, they can fly with F-14B

But honestly, what do you lose? The 90's F-14A can still do all the stuff a 70's F-14A can do, but not vice versa. The electronic environment in DCS isn't complex enough that the differences in EW would mean anything. If it's liveries options, all those hideous old gull grey and white schemes would still work fine on a 90's jet, and guys who are fans of the late career F-14 can still have all the late-life stuff.

If players want to fly an old F-14A, they can just not use the bombing capabilities.

Everythings

But honestly, what do you lose? The 90's F-14A can still do all the stuff a 70's F-14A can do, but not vice versa. The electronic environment in DCS isn't complex enough that the differences in EW would mean anything. If it's liveries options, all those hideous old gull grey and white schemes would still work fine on a 90's jet, and guys who are fans of the late career F-14 can still have all the late-life stuff.

If players want to fly an old F-14A, they can just not use the bombing capabilities.

You play with a small group of friends?

But we play massive multiplayers international events balanced, consistent with a historical period and ultra realistic!

So obviously that in the scenario of the 70s we prefer to have a plane of this time with the attack and technology capabilities of that time because the enemies who will face will have the equivalent of the same period..

And not to mention the Iranian F-14A of the same era that will be integrated in many scenarios as a "red aircraft" full clickable !

Moreover, if we are interested in a little bit of the history of military aviation we realize that the emblematic F-14A is that of the 70s-80s (with ALQ-100 only or IR-Seeker only). The latest improvements of the F-14A of the 1990s are to keep the plane operational until the end of is life, they are not a reference of its total service !

Yeah, I'd love to also have the Iranian F-14A-90-GR to shoot at. That'd be fantastic. We probably should have that at some point.

Believe me, I am well aware of the F-14's history. It'd be awesome if we could have the jet at every stage of its career.

The main focus of the desire for the early F-14A seems to be for balance against 1970s aircraft. The primary differences is air-to-air only capability between early and late F-14As that we could sim in the game is the RWR. For the RWR, the EW environment of DCS is not complex enough to make a difference. If it were, we'd have at least some AI-focused EW aircraft like the EA-6B Prowler for it to mean something. The TCS is really the only sticky wicket remaining. We already have the 70s missiles, load those on the jet and don't take it bombing. You don't lose any of the capabilities you want with a 90's jet and what you gain is stuff you won't use anyway. What does group size have to do with it?

I get the desire to be "hyper-realistic," but there are already flaws in that argument. Not every aircraft in the sim that are contemporaries are representative of contemporary configurations. The F/A-18C we have didn't exist when the F-14B we have was in service, just as an example. Unless the modules are going to start giving us multiple variants of each aircraft type released so that we can have type-for-type contemporaries, you are going to have to blur the lines anyway.

To add to that, you want to simulate 1970s scenarios in an appropriate Tomcat? Cool. AI aircraft as well? Where is your A-7 Corsair? Your A-6 Intruder? Your early-block E-2 Hawkeye? Your SH-3 Sea King? Your EA-6B? How about your RA-5C or RF-8 for when the F-14 didn't run recon? The S-3A? Where's the pre-Roosevelt variant Nimitz-class for you to put it on? Your Belknap-class cruisers to protect it? For you to have "hyper-realistic" 1970s scenarios regarding even fleet defense, you are lacking the AI assets with appropriately realistic sensors, weapons systems, and EW to conduct it. You are already fudging. A 90s F-14A in such a situation isn't going to break it.

So, since I still haven't been answered I will ask again: in terms of capabilities that DCS can simulate, what will a 90s US Navy F-14 rob you of? What do you lose?

I'll tell you what I lose with a 1970's F-14. If we ever get a Desert Storm/Iraq map, I lose the ability to operate with VF-154 from Al Udeid Air Base providing close air support to special forces. If we get a Balkans map, I lose the ability to fly the strikes or SCAR missions with VF-41 that I read about in Black Aces High. I lose 33% of the squadrons operating in the F-14's later career when it arguably had the greatest impact in US combat operations. A 90s F-14A can simulate adequately the Tomcat at any stage of its career from the beginning to the end. A 70s or 80s version would lop off the last 12 years for those of us that like "hyper-realistic" post-Cold War scenarios.

?

I get the desire to be "hyper-realistic," but there are already flaws in that argument. Not every aircraft in the sim that are contemporaries are representative of contemporary configurations. The F/A-18C we have didn't exist when the F-14B we have was in service, just as an example. Unless the modules are going to start giving us multiple variants of each aircraft type released so that we can have type-for-type contemporaries, you are going to have to blur the lines anyway.

There are already options to disable certain technology of certain times for some module, unfortunately this function is not exploited enough and for example for the F18 it is impossible to disable the helmet viewfinder that appeared much later..

To add to that, you want to simulate 1970s scenarios in an appropriate Tomcat? Cool. AI aircraft as well? Where is your A-7 Corsair? Your A-6 Intruder? Your early-block E-2 Hawkeye? Your SH-3 Sea King? Your EA-6B? How about your RA-5C or RF-8 for when the F-14 didn't run recon? The S-3A? Where's the pre-Roosevelt variant Nimitz-class for you to put it on? Your Belknap-class cruisers to protect it? For you to have "hyper-realistic" 1970s scenarios regarding even fleet defense, you are lacking the AI assets with appropriately realistic sensors, weapons systems, and EW to conduct it. You are already fudging. A 90s F-14A in such a situation isn't going to break it.

The historical realism of our events, is far superior to everything you can see actually in DCS WORLD (private host and server game). Unfortunately we are limited by the resources of the game and the numbers bugs that includes DCS WORLD.

And it is clear that to make scenarios in the 70s, the resources at the level of playable modules and supplies the game are very limited ! But we can still with what we have to do something viable realistic..

So, since I still haven't been answered I will ask again: in terms of capabilities that DCS can simulate, what will a 90s US Navy F-14 rob you of? What do you lose?

The problem of the F-14A in the 90s, is that its armament is too modern for 70s scenarios !

You'll be able to launch laser-guided bombs GBU and AIM-54C, while your opposite, the poor M-21bis, MiG-23MLA (Razbam) and AI MiG-25 with weak combat capability.. ?!

I think you must understand that there is a big difference between the games you play with your friends and our events with many players competing against each other..

The problem of the F-14A in the 90s, is that its armament is too modern for 70s scenarios !

You'll be able to launch laser-guided bombs GBU and AIM-54C, while your opposite, the poor M-21bis, MiG-23MLA (Razbam) and AI MiG-25 with weak combat capability.. ?!

Simple solution for this. Per you:

There are already options to disable certain technology of certain times for some module.

So, use the options available to you.

I think you must understand that there is a big difference between the games you play with your friends and our events with many players competing against each other..

Again, see above for your own solution. You can disable the weapons and systems you don't want on your big scenarios for your competitive servers. If the module doesn't allow it, you'll have to rely on player honesty.

So, what do you lose?

XD

So, what do you lose?

lol..

The question to ask is: What do you win to have F-14A completely identical (except the engines) as the F-14B?

I really ask what is the point of having a vulgar copy paste of the F-14B, while we could have the legendary classic F-14A that the whole community has preferred !?

And that will allow DCS WORLD to have more serious scenarios with the Iranian F-14A and the cold war period of the 70s ..

Anyway it is the developers who will choose, either to copy and paste for ease of work, or to listen to the community and rework the F-14A for the 70s or 80s with some notable differences in addition to the engines ..

So that's all we'll lose:

- Cockpit Skin for old F-14A

- RWR - ALR-45 from old F-14A

- Exnternal detail of 3D model from old F-14A

(Gun gas purging vents: Pre AFC731, 4 spoiler DLC, Lack of antennas, Rounded corners on nacelles, Exhausts nozzles of PW TF30's, )

- Chin pod IR or ALQ-100 only from old F-14A

- Weapon loadout from old F-14A

("Initially, the Tomcat could carry only conventional "dumb" bombs, and had no precision-guided munition capability. It was not compatible with guided weapons such as the AGM-84 Harpoon, the SLAM, the AGM-65 Maverick, the Walleye, or the AGM-88 HARM. It initially could not even carry or deliver laser-guided bombs. However, the ability to deliver laser-guided bombs such as the GBU-10, GBU-12, GBU-16, and GBU-24 was added in 1994, although the Tomcat initially had to rely on other aircraft to designate the targets. The first GBU-16 laser guide bombs were dropped from a Tomcat of VF-103 on May 2, 1994. The Tomcat first dropped such bombs in anger when two F-14s of VF-41 attacked targets in Serbia with GBU-16s on September 5, 1995, with F/A-18s painting the target with AN/AAS-38A Nite Hawk laser designators.

The Tomcat lacked any type of FLIR and laser designator which would make it possible to operate at night and to deliver laser-guided bombs autonomously. The Martin-Marietta LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and targeting Infra-Red for Night) pod was selected to provide this capacity for the Tomcat. The LANTIRN pod is attached to the starboard wing glove pylon. The aircraft was equipped with a GPS antenna, and the antenna was linked to a Litton GPS/IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that was incorporated into the LANTIRN pod. This allows the pod to find targets without the need for a radar fix. The system was first tested on an F-14B drawn from VF-103 in February of 1995. The F-14B testbed first flew with LANTIRN on March 21, 1995. The first LANTIRN pod was delivered in June of 1996. The first operational cruise with LANTIRN-equipped Tomcats took place that very month". "The AIM-54C is the only improved model that was ever produced. It used digital electronics in the place of the analog electronics of the AIM-54A. This model had better abilities to shoot down low and high-altitude antiship missiles. This model took over from the AIM-54A beginning in 1986)

- Exnternal Skin from classic squadron of 1974 to 1985 of US Navy

- Exnternal Skin from Iranian squadron

- Old engine from F-14A

The F-14A was a interceptor only

F-14A (1974)

F-14B (1987)

F-14D (1992)

lol..

 

The question to ask is: What do you win to have F-14A completely identical (except the engines) as the F-14B?

 

I really ask what is the point of having a vulgar copy paste of the F-14B, while we could have the legendary classic F-14A that the whole community has preferred !?

And that will allow DCS WORLD to have more serious scenarios with the Iranian F-14A and the cold war period of the 70s ..

I get the F-14A at its fullest capability, with maximum flexibility. I want to perform the fighter/interceptor mission, I can. Tactical reconnaissance, I can. Bombing, precision strike, CAS. Got it all. Any parts of it I don't want to use, I won't, plain and simple. If the option exists on the MP servers to turn off these systems, then it can be limited by period this way. This F-14A isn't a vulgar copy of the F-14B. It's the best the F-14A ever got, and it soldiered on this way until the end.

I gain everything the F-14A gained when it was upgraded. And I get challenges the F-14B doesn't offer, like tanking at high altitude with a full bomb load with those engines, which was supposed to be an interesting experience, and occasionally quite terrifying when the GE-equipped F-14B and D didn't have trouble. I also wouldn't say the community perfers the classic. Just comparing the 70s F-14 and 90s F-14 voting blocks, that's a pretty slim margin. It becomes wider when you add the votes for the Iranian jet, but I consider the Iranian Tomcat a different question that should be covered on its own regardless of the USN version we get.

I also get that legendary classic F-14A that only performed the fleet defense roll with just an appropriate change of livery and weapons loadout, minus a few details, a few of which you were kind enough to list below.

So that's all we'll lose:

Do you, though? Did the F-14A getting upgraded to carry bombs actually ever degrade its ability as a fleet defense fighter?

- Cockpit Skin for old F-14A

The PTID is already off the table. What in either seat was different between early and late F-14A? The LANTIRN control stick for the RIO is already optional based on whether the LANTIRN is loaded. The same will be true for the TARPS pod controls when we get them.

- RWR - ALR-45 from old F-14A

The EW environment in DCS isn't complex enough to make a difference. And if it were, if I had a dollar for every time a player who didn't know any better got his Final Countdown hotrod blown out of the sky flying feet dry in an aircraft that shouldn't be there by a more modern SAM system his RWR couldn't detect, I could quit my job. There's an awful lot of feet dry in DCS maps. That's an awful lot of limits.

The ideal answer to the TCS issue would be an optional checkbox or drop-down in the loadout menu, offering the TCS, bullet fairing, IR seeker, or ALQ by itself (please, Heatblur).

- Exnternal detail of 3D model from old F-14A

(Gun gas purging vents: Pre AFC731, 4 spoiler DLC, Lack of antennas, Rounded corners on nacelles, Exhausts nozzles of PW TF30's, )

- Chin pod IR or ALQ-100 only from old F-14A

The rounded corners on the engine shrouds remained on the F-14A the whole career, along with the TF30s. The purge vents, early boat tail, AOA probe, those were all gone from production lines by the -85GR introduced in FY74. You are talking about fewer than 125 examples.

In your MP scenarios, are you running, say, Canadian F/A-18s? Just as an example, the CF-18s have differing external details than the F/A-18C we got for DCS. They aren't egregious. A few antennae and blisters here and there, the spotlight is missing, but it's enough.

You can't say "we like hyper-realism" and then concede that with DCS, you do the best with what resources you've got, and still hold your ground here. You are already open in your MP servers to using what you can. You've already made yourself flexible where other assets are concerned. So you can use an upgraded 1990s F-14A as a pre-Bombcat F-14A by limiting what loadouts are available to it. I can't conduct CAS or precision strike from a 70s F-14A. No optional limits will allow for that.

- Weapon loadout from old F-14A

On MP servers, limit weapons availability. SP, you have all the control over that yourself.

("Initially, the Tomcat could carry only conventional "dumb" bombs, and had no precision-guided munition capability. It was not compatible with guided weapons such as the AGM-84 Harpoon, the SLAM, the AGM-65 Maverick, the Walleye, or the AGM-88 HARM. It initially could not even carry or deliver laser-guided bombs. However, the ability to deliver laser-guided bombs such as the GBU-10, GBU-12, GBU-16, and GBU-24 was added in 1994, although the Tomcat initially had to rely on other aircraft to designate the targets. The first GBU-16 laser guide bombs were dropped from a Tomcat of VF-103 on May 2, 1994. The Tomcat first dropped such bombs in anger when two F-14s of VF-41 attacked targets in Serbia with GBU-16s on September 5, 1995, with F/A-18s painting the target with AN/AAS-38A Nite Hawk laser designators.

The Tomcat lacked any type of FLIR ... yadda, yadda, yadda

Anyone familiar with the history of the F-14 would know all of this, so I am not sure what the purpose of the lecture is. This is all true, but the F-14 became the Navy's premier precision strike fighter after the retirement of the A-6 Intruder. 33% of surviving fleet F-14 squadrons flew the F-14A and used them in the strike mission. That's a large percentage that cannot be ignored, taking the jet into actual, real, live rounds combat in the strike role. I understand that 100% of the F-14 squadrons flew an air-to-air only version of the A, but again, the bomber upgrade didn't degrade its ability as a fighter.

- Exnternal Skin from classic squadron of 1974 to 1985 of US Navy

Given that we already have people putting these liveries on the F-14B, no, you really don't.

- Exnternal Skin from Iranian squadron

See above.

But let me be explicitly clear, I hope we get a flyable Iranian F-14, but my arguments here are specifically involving US Navy F-14As.

- Old engine from F-14A

Look, if we're going to get a pre-Bombcat F-14A, Heatblur is probably going to want to cover the Iranian F-14s as well, which were equipped with the PW-TF30-414 instead of the -412. It won't include the early boat tail, or the 7-hole GGVs, or the early AOA probe configuration either, because the -95GR sold to Iran didn't.

I remain unmoved by old hotrods that had a disadvantage at visual ranges because they were painted up like billboards. There is a reason they all went to the TPS scheme, and it was generally a good one.

Still, I won't begrudge anyone putting liveries they like on a plane. I was raised not to kink shame. No opinion about aesthetics is objectively wrong.

The F-14A was a interceptor only

The 1990s F-14A is an air superiority fighter, interceptor, reconnaissance asset, precision strike fighter, close air support system, and FAC(A) aircraft with a myriad of missions that it performed well. And it could still do only what the 70s Tomcat could in the bargain.

F-14A 1974-2004

F-14B 1987-2005

F-14D 1992-2006

Don't know what the point of telling me the service dates of a plane I am already familiar with, but there, fixed that for you.

Look at how long that career is for the F-14A. 30 years. That's a long time for a Navy fighter jet. And in that time it did a LOT more than just intercept Soviet bombers and Libyan fighters, and a LOT more than just air-to-air. The F-14A dropped more bombs in anger than it ever shot missiles. A 90's F-14A would give us the ability to have some semblance of any point in that long career without sacrificing anything but some relatively minor details that the community, including you, has already been willing to flex with.

I hear your arguments on quite valid, like mine ..

We will stop there because we each have our preferences.

;-)