F-14 Tomcat: MiG Killer!

[Music] [Music] three five four nine knots over the privileged world of naval aviation is enjoyed by only a few of the United States elite fighter pilots unlike the Air Force or army pilots who can consider their land-based air strips as home a naval aviators home is the open seas comforting visits by friends and relatives are almost unheard of and the sacrifices don't stop there a great deal of potential danger is also ever-present when working on a carrier steel deck however the special rewards of flying for the Navy more than make up for these hardships Naval Aviation is now part of an American seagoing tradition and the aircraft carrier is where it starts to protect its fleets from airborne attacks the US Navy issued a request for a dedicated and uncompromised jet fighter at first the Navy's lengthy list of requirements seemed impossible to me but after years of research inspiration and plain hard work by the Grumman aerospace corporation American ingenuity created the Tomcat or f-14 as it is officially known two squadrons of Tomcat fighters are deployed on the major carriers for missions around the world the f-14 is so complex and demanding that two aviators are needed to fly it the pilots concentration is focused full-time on his flight controls and the flight officer understands the unique electronics of the Tomcats radar and weapon systems like any good team the Aviators rapport with their Tomcats maintenance personnel ordnance specialists and deck crew is crucial each man's role is equally important as the f-14 excels were lesser aircraft have tried but failed in the role of MIG killer [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the steam-powered catapult hurls the f-14 into the heavy sea air the Tomcats wings are swept forward for maximum lift as it hungers for the freedom that only higher altitudes can provide within moments the f-14 will be slicing through the skies and off to point three [Music] although beautiful to behold the f-14 is foremost an amazing engineering achievement the Navy determined that both high and low speed combat manoeuvrability were to be equally important for its new fighter as were the aircraft's top speed and patrol range to satisfy these contradicting requirements Grumman engineers designed the computer-controlled variable-sweep wing the Navy also wanted the f-14 to be reliable resist corrosion and be able to fit on existing carriers to meet these goals the f-14 is constructed with aluminum alloys titanium and for the first time composite materials use four key load-bearing structures the heart of the Tomcat is its aim 54 Phoenix method system easily the most advanced air-to-air missile to date the six Phoenix is carried by the f-14 can destroy enemy airborne targets up to 90 miles away in fact the f-14 itself was specially designed for the Phoenix weapon system and after nearly 20 years the Tomcat is still the only fighter built to launch it none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the lessons learned from the Vietnam War carrier task force 77 began bombing North Vietnam in February 1965 President Johnson hoped the Selective destruction of military targets would convince the communist government that a war against the United States would be futile nevertheless the North Vietnamese endured attacks launched from carriers until the war's end the staging area in the Gulf of Tonkin for the air strikes was known as Yankee station the first retaliatory strikes were codenamed flaming dart the aviators were carefully briefed on a day selected targets they were specifically ordered to avoid damaging any civilian or certain industrial facilities Operation Rolling Thunder would soon follow the Aviators flue dedicated attack aircraft such as the a-1 skyraider an a4 Skyhawk a once na fours over low speed low altitude specialists which could drop ordnance from under thick cloud cover this was very useful as poor weather frequently prevented other aircraft from even launching USS Midway her crew and aircraft spent 144 days on the line in 1965 [Music] [Music] the piston-powered Douglas Skyraider was a brawny warhorse left over from the last days of World War two although obsolete at the time of its deployment to Yankee station the a one's endurance and heavy payload were very valuable when pinpoint attacks were most needed flying the Beast took muscle strafing and bombing where it's chief callings [Music] [Music] the sky hut was Douglass's jet-powered light-attack platform developed in the 1950s no other aircraft flew as many sorties over North Vietnam during Rolling Thunder as did the legendary a for the Marines also flew the a4 from Danang and Chu Lai the sky Hawk was heavily armed with two 20 millimeter cannons air-to-ground rockets and guided missiles and of course [Music] the a4 did its job so well that it was one of the few aircraft to serve during the entire eight years at Yankee station maintenance crews praised its reliability and aviators loved its easy handling no bomber was ever this light and sold evil [Music] North Vietnamese airfields were politically off-limits to stripes but when the ban was temporarily lifted Skyhawks gave their all to destroy the north vietnamese air force the communist inventory was small but often very effective in preventing our air superiority [Music] one of the aircraft flown by the North Vietnamese was the Soviet design Miko jaan gurevich mig-17 fresco developed from the mig-15 which flew during the Korean War the mig-17 was armed with 23 millimeter cannons and had superb low altitude manoeuvrability combined with mig-19 farmers these MiG's could be very lethal against heavily laden a 1 and a 4 strike aircraft North Vietnam had a powerful network of soviet-designed air defenses MiG's surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery with each claimed many aerial victims the phrase feet wet would be two of the happiest words a pilot could speak as he flew across the beach toward his carrier home the mission completed [Music] [Music] the a4 bomber paid a price for having flown the Navy's most sorties nearly 200 Skyhawks were lost in combat more than 70 additional a4 s were lost in operational accidents all told the a for losses represented almost 1/3 of the Navy's total aircraft and helicopter losses during the Vietnam War many Skyhawks proved their ability to take a hit by bringing their pilot back home so they could barely fly or recover on that [Music] Canon's were the a ones and a four is only air-to-air weapons using cannons exclusively was both difficult and dangerous the Vietnam War became the first opportunity to deploy in combat the guided energy air or air interception missile after the retirement of the f8 crusader the f4 phantom ii would be the Navy's primary fighter medium-range Sparrow missiles used radar to detect and track their big targets short-range heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles had an acquisition system which honed in on the MiG's infrared emissions both missiles were carried by F fours for maximum dogfighting versatility two aviators man the f4 is controls just like today's f-14 [Music] the f4 phantom was the most versatile jet fighter in the u.s. inventory the Marines and the Air Force flew it for ground attacks as well the f4 would quickly rain as each services leading MIG killer the MiG's however had other ideas in mind the North Vietnamese Air Force received the more sophisticated mig-21 fish bed from the Soviets in 1966 the supersonic mig-21 were better armed the mig-17 as they carried to a tall air interception missiles in addition to their cannon armament the heat-seeking a tall missile was almost an exact copy of the Navy Sidewinder directed by ground radar controllers mig-21s would join forces with MIG 17s attempting to deny at forest both high and low altitude airspace [Music] although smaller and slightly slower than the f-word the mig-21 was more maneuverable and a highly capable combat aircraft North Vietnam put its best pilots at the controls [Music] the Navy and Marines lost 16 aircraft to MIG fighters the Air Force lost 63 colonel toon was the North's leading ace with 13 claim kills captain win van BAE claimed 7 kills and the honor of being the first ace of the Vietnam War a high percentage of American prisoners of war were pilots who had been shot down over North Vietnam refused access to the Red Cross the North Vietnamese treated the Airmen as criminals and subjected them to beatings and ritual torture many died from starvation and disease perhaps the greatest day in modern US Naval Aviation is 10 May 1972 as lieutenants Randy Cunningham and William Driscoll shot down three MIG fighters during one mission with Colonel tune as their last kill Cunningham in Driscoll became the world's first missile Isis [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] the f wars were successful against the mig-21s but we're not as overwhelming as American fighters were against the mig-15 during the Korean War the lethality of the weapons carried by Navy aircraft was made painfully evident on 29 July 1967 after only five days on the line of the Gulf of Tonkin the USS forrestal suffered a terrible disaster when air-to-ground rockets were accidentally ignited their explosion resulted in a catastrophic fire which raged uncontrollably across the forestalls Dec 21 for a force in our a5s were destroyed after containing the fire and assessing the damage the Forrestal was to immediately return to his norfolk virginia port for lengthy repairs its time on the line at yankee station was over for the remainder of the war a smaller accident had occurred on the USS Oriskany just months earlier when a flare Locker exploded destroying 3 aircraft these accidents proved that duty on the carrier's deck can be as dangerous as duty in the skies [Music] [Music] the losses to personnel on the Forrestal were tragically high 134 men were killed and at least 62 injured the Oriskany suffered the loss of 44 men and 38 injured although infrequent occurrences these accidents remind us of the heavy price paid by those sailors who will never enjoy the Aviators glory of being a MIG killer but nonetheless risk all for the service of their country Air Force fighter lost to kill ratios were 2 to 3 the Navy was far more successful partly due to their Top Gun program for air combat pilot excellence its aviators were ready for a new fighter to match their skills [Music] [Music] nearly every aircraft carrier had the honor of being home to a MIG killer the USS constellations air wings were credited with 15 kills the BONHOMME RICHARD swings scored 12 kills and the mid weighs 8 kills most mig kills were by the f4 family yet by 1972 the new fighter had just arrived the original f4 design dated back to the 1950s now they were in need of replacement for fleet defense as MiG's had shown themselves to be near equals in a dogfight the f-14 was initially developed from concepts worked out in the General Dynamics f-111 but as a long-range air interception missile platform the Tomcat has no competition its use pulse-doppler radar can detect and track numerous MIG aircraft while attacking six of them at the same time with Phoenix's just in case of a close-in dogfight the f-14 also carried sparrows Sidewinders and a 20 millimeter cannon Navy was getting a lot of firepower from just one fighter the Tomcat made itself right at home upon deployment to the Navy's four major fleets despite its increased area lethality the f-14 took up no more deck space than the f4 and despite the Tomcat structural and electrical complexity fewer maintenance problems were encountered than some analysts originally feared but to no one's surprise the new fighters biggest fans were its aviators [Music] the US Navy has maintained an active presence in the Mediterranean Sea since the 1800s today the 6th fleet patrols its waters though the fleet's principal strength is airpower the carriers are supported by cruisers destroyers and submarines unstable political conditions have made the 6th fleet a necessary presence in the mandate Soviet bear bombers on reconnaissance missions are often escorted by f4 teens the bear crews no doubt hope this is all they will ever see of the tomcat the 1980s saw the 6th fleet in action again and again throughout the mediterranean more than 20 crises have broken out since 1970 [Music] the combat ready f-14 Tomcats were soon to meet their first real challenge Colonel Muammar al-gaddafi became dictator of Libya through a military coup the Soviet Union has supplied his regime with tanks air defenses and other military equipment including combat aircraft in 1981 the 6th fleet was on maneuvers in the Gulf of Sidra these international waters were planed by Colonel Qaddafi is belonging to Libya Gaddafi said that to sail into his Gulf was to cross the line of death the Navy would not be intimidated by his threat and conducted its maneuvers as scheduled the Tomcats were prepared for a typical combat air patrol mission they were armed with a full load of Phoenix's sparrows Sidewinders and cannon projectiles no one had any inkling of what was to come later that day [Music] [Music] [Music] helped by Soviet radar surveillance the Libyans took immediate action soviet-built Sukhoi su-27 s took off from the album ba air links the Sukhoi armed with each seeking H all missiles [Music] the sukhoi were of an older design dating back to the 60s it was almost suicidal for them to attack an f-14 but the determined Libyan pilots wasted no time in their pursuit of the Tomcats the sukhoi squigly launched their aides halls within striking distance [Music] the tomcat aviators responded to the attacking sukhoi su-30 ARP flight skills [Music] [Music] when news of the dogfight reached the anxious debt crews everyone wondered if war with Libya would break out just what was Gadhafi planning would he try to challenge the Navy again if so what would he do next or when but for now Qaddafi was client and besides the Sixth Fleet would soon be supporting its fellow Marine units from offshore of Beirut Lebanon President Reagan loved the f-14 tomcat throughout his administration he deployed naval airpower to demonstrate America's presence and commitment to the fight for freedom President Reagan was so confident in the Navy's abilities that his aides allowed him to sleep undisturbed for six more hours after the Tomcat shot down the Sukhoi his Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger was in the speedy process of building up a 600 ship Navy the Tomcat was shining proof of Naval Aviation 'he's pursuit of excellence everything seemed too good to be true [Music] [Music] without warning an explosion ripped apart an American military discotheque in West Germany a u.s. airliner was hijacked random acts of terrorism against innocent civilians spread across the European continent intelligence sources eavesdropping on Libyan radio reported Qaddafi to have ordered the terrorist attacks the United States was held hostage a raid was on to bomb Libyan military installations air force FB 111 bombers took off from bases in England and flew thousands of miles in route to Libya Soviet military air transports parked on a runway near Tripoli were easy to find even after the long flight the FB 111 s infrared television recorded the event all bombs exploded within striking distance of their targets a six intruders were launched from six fleet carriers four raids on Benghazi f-14s provided combat air patrol this time there were no MiG's to fight but the intruders had to evade more than 100 surface-to-air missiles to drop their bombs on target in January 1989 Qaddafi would suddenly strike again he had received high-tech swing-wing mig-23 flogger x' from the soviets unaware of Gaddafi's intentions f-14 Tomcats were launched as usual for combat air patrol qaddafi ordered his flodders to attack the Tomcats the following is a recording of the actual radio transmission between the Tomcat aviators the USS John Kennedy and the e-2 Hawkeye electronic control aircraft which first detected the approaching mig-23s 5207 contact of 175 72 miles let's have the flight up to Angels 10 that's those 25 mile separation turn it down contacts appear to be having a three one five now speed for 30 angels thoughts me 8000 Roger age taken make a quick loop here it's fabulous I need to give you solution here they come start with about Authority 2:07 61 miles now bearing 1 8 0 angels 8 heading 3 3 0 and back 420 degrees here he's drinking now ok bogeys appear to be coming jinking to the right now heading north speed 430 angels 5000 now in the descent okay let's take her down now we're going down close out though these appear to be heading directly out as I'm coming sports study up one five zero four thirty degree offset fifteen miles [Music] 49 miles now speed 450 angels 9 I'm going down to three Roger Roger that three degree offset now bogeys are heading three four zero speed 500 let's accelerate okay they look like they're at the 9,000 things are just okay Jake back into us now let's come starboard 30 degrees the other side episode 35 miles Roger that Bogey's a [ __ ] back into me now for the third time with noses on at 35 miles per closed dot you copy [Applause] okay I'm 27 miles 45013 550 angel 16 3 4 0 ok you're in collision now wait a minute alpha Bravo from 207 I got the second on the nose right now lock him up lock him up [Applause] okay take it down to three thousand here muster the other shoot is high up just to the right of the first flash okay monster he's over on the right side the f-14 was now a MIG killer and famous worldwide for its mastery of the skies by waiting until the last possible moment to defend themselves the Tomcat aviators proved the f-14 superiority over the MiG's in this twisting and turning 500 not duel instead of long-range phoenixes the plotters have been killed at short range with Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles the Tomcat could fight and win in any situation [Music] unfortunately the poor aviators who flew the two Tomcats will remain officially anonymous to make their identities known would make themselves and their families potential targets for terrorist reprisals unlike the f-14 they will probably never enjoy any public acclaim for their victories the mental and physical fitness required to fly an aircraft like the f-14 demands a dedication that only a few can commit to it is a dedication that is greater than the pursuit of money power or fame few people will ever come to grasp the reasons by anyone possessing such intelligence and coordination would commit his life to being a Navy fighter pilot those who do fly or want to fly for the Navy will immediately understand it is simply to be the best ever vigilant and always prepared tomcat aviators are waiting on call until their services are needed again if and when the need arises the f-14 tomcat and its crew are guaranteed to deliver [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Mike Guardia

Views: 394,556

Rating: 4.7351208 out of 5

Keywords: Tomcat, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, navy, naval, aviation, fighter pilot, pilot, aviator, documentary, top gun, iron eagle, tom cruise, maverick, jester, iceman, F-4, eagle, falcon, sidra, libya, mig, sukhoi, dogfight, air combat, combat, missile, lock on, afterburner, battle, footage, squadron, VF, VFA, uss, carrier, group, sonic

Id: tMhwzuoBRoI

Length: 42min 9sec (2529 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 13 2019