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| View Original: | F-14B_Tomcat_prototype_in_flight_c1973.jpg (2121x1033) | |||
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| Keywords: F-14B Tomcat prototype in flight c1973.jpg The Grumman F-14B Tomcat prototype BuNo 157986 in flight <br> Very soon during the development of the F-14 Grumman was aware that the TF30-powered F-14A would be underpowered Therefore on 27 February 1970 Grumman suggested a Tomcat variant powered by the winner of the Advanced Technology Engine This variant was designated F-14B The winner of the engine contest became the Pratt Whitney F401-P-400 The seventh F-14A BuNo 157986 served as the prototype and first flew on 12 September 1973 It first with one F401-P-400 engine and one TF30 engine later the aircraft was equipped with two F401 engines Original plans called for the F-14B to start rolling off the production line with the 67th F-14 with earlier F-14As being converted to F-14B configuration However the development of the F401 turbofan soon ran into serious problems Since the F-14A had already encountered severe cost overruns and since the budget had been severely cut back at the end of the Vietnam War the U S Navy decided to cancel further development of the F-14B in April 1974 157986 accumulated only 33 hours of flying time and was put into storage In 1981 it was reactivated for the evaluation of the General Electric F101 DFE Derivative Fighter Engine turbofans engine used in the F-14A+ The F-14A+ also received the ALR-67 Radar Homing and Warning RHAW system but much of the avionics as well as the AWG-9 radar were retained The F-14A+ was later redesignated F-14B on 1 May 1991 A total of 38 new aircraft were manufactured and 48 F-14As were upgraded into B variants 157986 is today on display at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum New York USA http //collections naval aviation museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/AdvQuery php U S Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No http //collections naval aviation museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display php irn 55489 QueryPage 2Femuwebdoncoms 2Fpages 2Fdoncoms 2FAdvQuery php 2011 003 301 005 ca 1973 ; Note The Super Tomcat was also the F-14A+ in 1981 therefore this photo could have been taken in 1981 U S Navy PD-USGov-Military-Navy F-14B Tomcat in flight Aerial photographs of F-14 Tomcat in flight Prototype aircraft | ||||
