00:00Hello. Thank you for watching today.
00:17Today's topic is the F-14 Tomcat, a legendary aircraft that has been tossed about by the times.
00:22Do you know the American fighter jet, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat?
00:32Even if you don't know the name, you might recognize it as the fighter jet piloted by Tom Cruise in the 1986 film Top Gun.
00:43This famous fighter jet, which was active in the Cold War and the Vietnam War, was retired from US service in 2006.
00:52The F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat were first deployed in the 1970s, but why is it that the F-15 is still in service with many countries, while the F-14 has already been retired?
01:10This time, I would like to introduce a website overseas that explains the history of the F-14 Tomcat.
01:19So let's take a look.
01:25So, let me start by talking about the development of the F-14 Tomcat.
01:30After World War II, the U.S. military jointly developed aircraft for the Air Force and Navy, but as the Cold War with the Soviet Union intensified, the Navy persuaded the U.S. government to allow it to develop fighter aircraft specifically for aircraft carriers.
01:48The F-14 Tomcat was developed as the main fighter for aircraft carriers.
01:57During the development of the F-14, during the arms race with the Soviet Union, emphasis was placed not only on top speed but also on acceleration appropriate to the flight situation.
02:09The answer was the F-14's greatest feature: its variable-wing design.
02:17The advantage of a variable-wing design is that during takeoff, i.e., when flying at low speeds, the wings can be moved forward to increase the wing surface area and generate more lift.
02:30On the other hand, moving the wings further back reduces the wing surface area, allowing for faster flight.
02:40In addition to its high speed, it was also more fuel efficient than fixed-wing fighters and boasted a top speed of Mach 2.3.
02:51The F-14 Tomcat had a total length of approximately 19.2 meters, a wingspan of approximately 19.5 meters, and was powered by two General Electric afterburning turbofan engines.
03:10Its maximum range without refueling was approximately 2,600 km, and the X-band pulse Doppler radar at the rear of the aircraft allowed it to track enemy aircraft from a distance of approximately 310 km.
03:26The weaponry it could carry included the AIM-54, also known as the Phoenix missile, a long-range air-to-air missile developed to protect its mother aircraft carrier, and could weigh up to 6,000 kilograms.
03:45The final production figure is recorded as 712 aircraft.
03:52Although it was an aircraft seemingly created for the Cold War with the Soviet Union, that clear purpose was lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
04:08After the end of the Cold War, 65 F-14s were upgraded with reconnaissance systems, converting them from fighters to reconnaissance aircraft.
04:18However, problems arose, including the fact that it was a Navy-exclusive aircraft, the aging of its various systems, the price of the aircraft, the maintenance costs, the difficulty of operating it, and its outdated mechanisms, and in 2006 it was replaced by the F-18 Fournette.
04:39After that, the remaining F-14 aircraft were cruelly disposed of in industrial schlenders, and they disappeared completely from America.
04:49The F-14 has disappeared from the United States, where it was developed, but it appears that up to 40 F-14s are still in active service in Iran, an enemy of the United States.
05:05These aircraft are the last of 79 sold by the United States to Iran in the 1970s, before the Iranian Revolution, when the country invaded.
05:16After diplomatic relations with the United States deteriorated, supplies of parts from the United States stopped, but Iran continues to provide technical support and parts supply from its own country.
05:31The F-14's combat record in the U.S. Navy was limited to four fighter jets and one helicopter, but during the protracted Iran-Iraq War that lasted for eight years from 1980, Iranian F-14s are said to have shot down 159 Iraqi Air Force planes.
05:53Now, as I mentioned briefly earlier, I would like to explain in detail one of the reasons why the F-14 disappeared: its outdated mechanism.
06:07The mechanism in question was the F-14's biggest selling point: its variable-wing design.
06:13Why did variable wing designs, which change the angle of the wings to alter flight characteristics depending on the situation, become a cause of their decline?
06:25The reason for this was the primary goal for fighter development.
06:29In the 1960s and 1970s, countries around the world placed great importance on the speed of their fighter jets, and naturally, a lot of time and money was invested in them.
06:45Eventually, it became clear to the developers that tactics were changing and that supersonic speeds exceeding Mach 2 were not practical.
06:57With the realization of new engines, including high-quality aircraft, and improved aircraft control by computers,
07:05It has become possible to improve maneuverability without using variable wings.
07:11Ironically, the F-14's variable-wing design, which was the latest technology at the time of its development, was one of the reasons for its failure.
07:22In 2006, it was decided to retire early.
07:27Now, let's take a look at some flight footage of the F-14 Tomcat.
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