Grumman AF-144 Tomcat

The Grumman AF-144 Tomcat, more commonly the AF-14 Tomcat, is the appellation given to the F-14 Tomcat in Royal Air Force of Albion service. Albion has operated the Tomcat since the 1980s and is the sole modern operator of the aircraft, having upgraded their airframes and supplemented them with newer ones over their service lives. The aircraft are slated to be replaced by the CGA-Albanair AF-239 Griffin beginning in 2022.

The AF-14 serves as Albion's primary multirole fighter, conducting both air superiority and ground attack missions from both land and carrier-based platforms. It remains one of the only variable-sweep wing aircraft in primary frontline service as an air superiority fighter.

Public opinion polls consistently demonstrate the iconic nature of the Tomcat fleet, and their continued operation has been popular with the Alban public. They have appeared frequently in films, television productions and other popular media and are considered the "poster children" of the RAFA.

Procurement
The F-14 was initially considered by Albion as part of the New Fighter Aircraft Program of the 1970s, intended to replace Albion's fleet of AF-105 Thunderchief and AF-108 Crusader aircraft with a flexible universal airframe. Seven aircraft were considered, including the F-14, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F-5G (F-20 Tigershark), Panavia Tornado and Dassault Mirage 2000. The F-14, F-15 and Tornado were eliminated early in the process due to high purchase prices, with the procurement process leaning towards purchasing either the F-18 or the Tornado - options most strongly considered because they both had two engines, a factor the RAFA considered vital following problems with single-engine AF-105s making emergency landings in the north.

The F-14 re-entered the picture following the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The country had recently purchased a fleet of 80 F-14s, but subsequent US embargos following the Revolution ensured that Iran would not be able to operate or maintain their fleet effectively. A deal was brokered in which Iran would sell their 79 delivered F-14s to Albion for a reduced sum. With the tacit backing of the United States, Albion purchased the fleet for a bargain price, receiving the airframes in nearly mint condition beginning in 1981. Grumman delivered the 80th airframe to complete the order. Work was undertaken to reinstall key avionics and systems initially omitted in Iran. The New Fighter Aircraft Program was quietly shelved, effectively dooming the F-20 Tigershark program by depriving it of a primary customer.

The AF-14 entered Alban service in 1983.

Early service
RAFA Tomcats were most visible in the High Arctic and in Europe, operating in the latter case from AFB Baden-Soellingen and conducting presence patrols and overwatch in areas expected to experience Soviet pressure.

In 1990, AF-144s from 615 and 629 Tactical Fighter Squadrons were deployed to Europe as part of Operation Retain Open, the NATO effort to maintain the airspace over Catalonia following the breakup of Spain. The Tomcats operated primarily from the existing RAFA bases at AFB Lahr and AFB Baden-Soellingen, working in concert with AF-188 Hornets deploying from HMRAS Princess Royal in the Mediterranean Sea. The conflict marked the first time since the Guyana War that Alban aircraft fired their weapons in anger. Of nine Spanish aircraft shot down during the intervention in Iberia, Alban Tomcats accounted for two.

On June 21, a two-Tomcat flight from 629 Squadron deployed for a night patrol mission over central Aragon. The lead aircraft was flown by Capt. Shane Mowat and backseater Lt. David Dechter, the second by Capt. Gabriel Amane and backseater Lt. Rick Loomis. Just outside Zaragoza, the two aircraft identified a flight of two Spanish F-175 Thunderhawks and two Mirage Vs inbound towards Catalonian lines. With both Spanish aircraft refusing to turn back, Mowat locked up all four aircraft and fired four AIM-54s from outside the Thunderhawks' range. The first Thunderhawk successfully decoyed the Phoenix missile, but the second and third missiles struck the trailing Thunderhawk and the lead Mirage respectively. The fourth Mirage suffered a glancing strike and was forced to limp away damaged. The remaining Thunderhawk turned away from the engagement and retreated. The battle marks the only known combat between the two North American swing-wing fighters.

They were later deployed to South Africa to provide presence patrols during the Black Revolution.

In 1997, they deployed to Guyana to conduct presence missions in the face of aggression from Gran Colombia.

Beginning in 1993, Albion procured an additional group of 64 AF-14D Tomcats from Grumman, while also beginning a systematic upgrade of their older airframes to bring them up to AF-14D standards. These so-called "Bombcat" upgrades improved the avionics package to modern standards and added air-to-ground enhancements the RAFA had felt lacking. The re-equipped Tomcat fleet gained LANTIRN/LTS pod compatibility, enabling the Tomcat to drop most NATO air-to-ground bombs, and added compatibility with the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, essential given that the AIM-54 Phoenix was out of production in the United States at this point. The engines of older units were replaced with the improved GE F110-GE-400 engine. This Midlife Extension Program pushed the expected lifespan of the Tomcat fleet out an additional 20 years.



AF-14E "Super Tomcat 21" upgrade
In 2008, CGA-Albanair, in concert with Grumman, conducted a comprehensive overhaul of the AF-14 fleet. Some of the oldest airframes were slated for retirement, but the most current AF-14Ds received a significant overhaul and airframe re-engineering to bring them up to the "Super Tomcat 21" standard, an upgrade intended to keep them flying into the 21st century.

The upgrade package included a fully modernized suite of electronics, centred on the Raytheon AN/APG-182(V)2 active electronically scanned array, a variant of the AN/APG-82 AESA radar utilized in modern versions of the F-15 Eagle. The nose radome was slightly redesigned to accommodate the radar. With the Tomcat's wide aperture - the widest of any American-built fighter - the upgraded AF-144 emerged with the most powerful air-to-air radar in NATO. The new avionics enabled compatibility with targeting drones and datalinks with the rest of the Alban fleet. The same AN/APX-111 IFF transponder utilized by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was installed in the nose. Further electronics upgrades incorporated a full Missile Approach Warning system, beyond-line-of-sight SATCOM receiver capability and a full digital electronic warfare and threat awareness system suite, with a new large display for the Radar Intercept Officer, enabling them to double as mission managers in support of the pilot.

These avionics upgrades came with major upgrades to the geometry of the aircraft, beyond those made to the radome to accommodate the new radar systems. The engines were replaced with the upgraded GE F110-GE-429 engine, significantly increasing fuel efficiency and allowing for a supercruise capability of Mach 1.2 and a top speed of Mach 2.5. The wing gloves were rebuilt with new leading-edge extensions, and the variable-geometry wing mechanism was completely removed and replaced with a lighter electronic/digital mechanism.

In terms of armaments, the Super Tomcat 21 package added compatibility with the more modern AIM-152 AAAM missile, the replacement for the by-then-discontinued AIM-54 Phoenix. The addition of the AIM-152 restored the Tomcat's ultra-long-range first-strike capability in the air-to-air role, enabling the AF-144 to make the most of the AN/APG-82(V)1's extremely long range. Additions to the air-to-ground suite included implementation of the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, Laser JDAM munitions and SLAM-ER standoff missiles.

The first of the upgraded airframes - designated AF-14E - saw combat action in Mali during Operation Persistent Vision. Operating from forward bases in the West African Republic and in southern Mali, Alban AF-14Es struck targets in Azawad and contributed to breaking the occupation of Timbuktu by Tuareg militias.

By 2020, 64 AF-14Es and 10 AF-14Ds remained in service.

Replacement
The increasing age of the AF-14 fleet has made their replacement essential.

In 2010, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Anthony Handler committed to joining the Joint Strike Fighter development program with several other nations, seeking to develop a single-engined universal stealth fighter to replace the AF-14. The program was subject to immense delays, and drew controversy following reports that the proposed Joint Strike Fighter could not effectively operate in the High Arctic due to faulty communications systems. Cost escalation and the perceived lack of capability of the JSF also hindered the program.

Upon the election of a Labour government in 2016, Albion withdrew from the JSF development program and opened a new procurement, the Replacement Fighter Program. Grumman and partner Boeing initially proposed a further refinement of the AF-14 design, re-engineered for stealth geometry, but the proposal was deemed too expensive and an excessive pushing of the limits of an old airframe.

The finalists in the RFP were the Saab JAS-39E Gripen, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F/A-18E/F Block III Advanced Super Hornet. Ultimately the winner was the Gripen, to be built in concert with CGA-Albanair as the AF-239 Griffin. Until the AF-239 is ready, the remaining AF-14s are slated to remain in service.

Operational units
Currently the AF-14E operates with the following units:


 * No. 615 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Ravens" - 1 Wing AFB Comox (18 AF-14E)
 * No. 616 Tactical Fighter Squadron - 3 Wing AF Reimer (18 AF-14E)
 * No. 626 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Thunderbirds" - 9 Wing AFB Baden-Soellingen (18 AF-14E)
 * No. 629 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Grey Phantoms" - 9 Wing AFB Baden-Soellingen (12 AF-14E)
 * No. 636 Flight Training Squadron - 4 Wing AFB Tampere (10 AF-14D)
 * No. 649 Flight Demonstrator Squadron "Snow Angels" - 4 Wing AFB Tampere (2 AF-14E)

An additional 70 airframes have been placed in storage and are occasionally scavenged for parts.

Specifications
Specifications given for AF-144E Super Tomcat.

General characteristics


 * Crew: 2 (Pilot and radar intercept officer)
 * Length: 62 ft 9 in
 * Wingspan: 64 ft 1.5 in
 * Height: 16 ft
 * Powerplant: 2 x General Electric F110-GE-429

Performance


 * Maximum speed: Mach 2.5 (3,087 km/h) at altitude
 * Cruising speed: Mach 1.24 (1,531 km/h) without afterburner
 * Range: 3,200 km
 * Combat range: 1,000 km
 * Service ceiling: 60,000 feet
 * g limits: +8.5
 * Rate of climb: 49,000 ft/min

Armament


 * Guns: 1 x 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon
 * Hardpoints: 10 total - 6x under-fuselage, 2x under-nacelles and 2x on wing gloves with a capacity of 17,500 lb of ordnance and fuel tanks
 * Rockets:
 * 7x LAU-10 rocket pods (for a total of 28 rockets)
 * Missiles:
 * Air-to-air missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-152 AAAM, AIM-7 Sparrow
 * Air-to-ground missiles: AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-84E/H/K SLAM-ER, AGM-88 HARM
 * Bombs:
 * JDAM and LJDAM precision-guided munitions
 * Paveway laser-guided bombs
 * Mk 80 series of unguided bombs
 * Mk 20 Rockeye II
 * GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb
 * AGM-154 JSOW glide bomb