F-14 Tomcat in Bogies & Bandits

The videos shows some very interesting footage of the AIM-9L testing and TCS (tactical camera system) integration and how it changed the rules of engagement.

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Cheers! :)

DB,

That's a great find.

this confuses me. the pilots keep talking about how they couldnt get a positive ID on the f5s before they were in lethal range. but the F14s have the built in tv system specifically for this. am I missing something or is this before that was added on?

nvm says in last video. was really weird since didnt say initially thats what this was about.

this confuses me. the pilots keep talking about how they couldnt get a positive ID on the f5s before they were in lethal range. but the F14s have the built in tv system specifically for this. am I missing something or is this before that was added on?

 

nvm says in last video. was really weird since didnt say initially thats what this was about.

No aircraft other than a few F-4Es with TISEO had a visual ID capability up to this point. The F-14s that VX-4 took to AIMVAL/ACEVAL were brand new off the line block 90 F-14s with TCS- No F-14s prior to this point had TCS (you can see early F-14 pics with an RWR blister only). TCS was amazing in the fact that it could be slaved to the radar to verify the target or used independently of the radar. If 2 crew were proficient and had fully capable systems, you couldn't really beat an F-14 in an intercept scenario.

The videos shows some very interesting footage of the AIM-9L testing and TCS (tactical camera system) integration and how it changed the rules of engagement.

 

Cheers! :)

Thanks for posting Darkbrotherhood - great set of videos!

No aircraft other than a few F-4Es with TISEO had a visual ID capability up to this point. The F-14s that VX-4 took to AIMVAL/ACEVAL were brand new off the line block 90 F-14s with TCS- No F-14s prior to this point had TCS (you can see early F-14 pics with an RWR blister only). TCS was amazing in the fact that it could be slaved to the radar to verify the target or used independently of the radar. If 2 crew were proficient and had fully capable systems, you couldn't really beat an F-14 in an intercept scenario.

One small correction, the TCS was still experimental at the time of AIMVAL/ACEVAL and this was the first actual use of the system. AIMVAL/ACEVAL was the validation of concept for the F-14's TCS (even though the F-4Es had TISEO as you mentioned) in addition to the many other things tested during AIMVAL/ACEVAL.

The system wasn't fitted fleet wide till roughly 1984-85 and the first F-14As that had TCS from the factory were Block 130s IIRC.

Even though the benefits of the system were quite apparent to aviators, it took several years after AIMVAL/ACEVAL to obtain funding for the program (1982ish?) and fleet wide employment followed a couple years later.

-Nick

[ATTACH]157801[/ATTACH] it is 1981???

Yes it is, which surprises me. :)

Here are some other photos from the same timeframe:

There is one VF-51 bird with the TCS, but the rest don't have it.

Not sure why just 1-2 A/C would have it in the airwing. Perhaps F-14As started coming off the line with it in 1981 and these were replacement aircraft.

I'm still quite sure that block 90 aircraft didn't have TCS's from the factory. RADM Gillcrist mentioned that he traveled to the Pentagon to make a case for fitting F-14s with TCS based on AIMVAL/ACEVAL data, but I may be off a year or two on timing.

Thanks for the picture!

-Nick