The Insane Engineering of the F-14 Tomcat

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Credits:
Producer/Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Head of Production: Mike Ridolfi
Editor: Dylan Hennessy
Writer/Research: Josi Gold
Animator: Eli Prenten
Animator: Stijn Orlans
Sound and Production Coordinator: Graham Haerther
Sound: Donovan Bullen
Thumbnail: Eli Prenten & Simon Buckmaster
Head of Moral: Shia LeWoof

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.

Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung

[mistere]

Apparently you figured out that a not-insignificant portion of the population is utterly unable to resist clicking on anything about the F-14 Tomcat.

[hirumaryuei]

Really surprised this video didn't cover the F14's flight computer. As far as marvels of engineering go, it's definitely among them. It's debatably the world's first microprocessor and for quite a few years it was the most advanced computer ever made. It wasn't until it was declassified in the 2010s that people realized just how far ahead the DOD's computing prowess was at the time.

[joemoore]

I worked for 13 years for Grumman Aerospace at the final assembly plant #6 in Calverton, Long Island, New York. I was in the power plant shop (1051 ) for the f-14's on all models from the A's to the Final D model. Having been part of the team to first fit the new GE F-110-400's was amazing. The first full afterburner run at night on the aircraft run stand shocked everyone with the power the new engines put out, engineers were afraid it would brake the strain gauge on the hold back chain. Evan the concrete was shaking under the plane. After the run was over we were dead silent, it was a monster. Only once was the plane run with both engines at zone 5 burners for a photo. I'm proud to have been a part of building the ultimate Navy fighter, hands down.
J.M., Navy Veteran, Ex Grumman " Iron Worker ".

[ramsavareyadav]

I’ve spent years chasing answers in documentaries, podcasts, even ancient texts—and none of it hit me the way The Exiled Principles of Power by Kairo Vantrel did. It’s like it was written for the few who are ready to break the illusion and remember who they really are.

[CaptainBrawnson]

Here's hoping for some mention of how the F-14 actually had the world's first microprocessor in it, but nobody knew that until recently because it was classified.

[bassett_green]

13:40 that high power radar is one of the reasons that Iran keeps their F-14s in service. It's basically an AWACS that can go mach 2

[strider]

I served in the US Navy on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the 90s, so frequently got to see these (as well as all of the other aircraft that served on carriers) up close in the hanger bay. Never got tired of looking at them, or occasionally watching flight ops.

[peterhoskins]

Im an aeronautical engineer with a propulsion focus. You got the right idea with inlet guide vanes (IGVs). They’re not necessarily creating laminar flow, as once the stream has been tripped to a turbulent regime there’s basically nothing in a plane we can do to fix that. What IGVs do is control the angle of attack the compressor blades are experiencing. The reason this can prevent stall is that it means the blade is producing less “lift” and has a lower acceleration over the suction side of the blade. This results in a less adverse pressure gradient through the engine, meaning we can rely on the momentum of all that metal spinning to recover the started condition.

[TheVeryPoshJosh]

the F-14 rolled the wrong way at 22:13, the left elevon/taileron actuated up and the right one down which should have resulted in a left roll (from pilots POV). besides that, Awesome video, I'm loving every second!

[sherpajones]

Fun Fact: The A-Wing fighter, introduced in Star Wars 6, Return of the Jedi, was a kitbash of the F-14 Tomcat. It takes the upper forward wing roots and joins them together, mirrors that on the underside, adds a small cockpit, massive engines, vertical stabilizers, and wingtip cannons.

[SedatedandRestrained]

4:48 metal fabricator here with some corrections about the welding; I do not know why electron beam welding was used but it wasn't for the reasons you listed. Titanium does not need to be in a vacuum to be welded, it just needs to have no oxygen available which is also achieved by TIG welding via an Argon shielding gas bubble around the weld. Heliarc was the name used for TIG at the time and was available. Also, most welding methods do not use combustion. The vast majority of welding done in the world uses an electric arc to generate the heat needed and in gas shielded welding like MIG and TIG the shielding gas provides the medium for the arc to travel between the electrode and the material being welded in lieu of the atmosphere.

Love the videos so please don't take this as hate, just minor constructive criticism on an amazing video!

[Atraira]

15:17 dang they got their own radar too huh? the missile really does know where it is at all times

[dimetimec]

I flew F-14s off The USS Enterprise before transferring to the USS Harry S Truman. VF-14 Tophatters then VF-32 Fighting Swordsmen. One fun fact about the F110s. If we went full afterburner off the carrier we would actually be going so fast at takeoff wed outrun the catapult shuttle. My crew chief ran some numbers and according to him we didn't need to have a cat shot if we used the afterburners. Though mind you we never actually ran that test as explaining to uncle sam why we just lost a F-14 cause we wanted to prove a theory wouldn't have advanced our military careers.

[tolson]

Outstanding job! I was a Aviation Fire Control technician on the F-14 Tomcat for 20 years and this is one of the best videos I have seen on the Tomcat. It is very accurate. A few small mistakes line the oversweep angle was 68 degrees, not 78.

My first squadron was VF-211, the Checkmates. Most of the Tomcats in your video were from VF-211. They have the distinctive red and white checkerboard pattern on the rudders. Very photogenic.

[ChasePalsson]

Titanium isn't welded in a vacuum as you mentioned, it's welded in purge chambers that are air tight and atmospheric air is purged out with pure argon so that there is no oxygen present for the weld.

But the electron welding process they made is a very cool process

[Midnight_Rider]

One note as a 12 year welder and lifelong nerd, most welding processes do not involve combustion! They use an electric arc with variable shielding mediums to keep oxygen out of the weld. TIG is common for welding titanium with argon shielding gas

[alwong]

The F14 is the most iconic naval fighter in US history. The Jolly Rogers are the most iconic F14 livery. The GOAT.

[cjpatz]

Love the nod to the movie “Executive Decision” with the Oceanic 747 being escorted by the Jolly Rogers.

[themajortom]

I served on the USS Ranger deployed to the Persian Gulf in the 92-93 era and I can tell you there is nothing more awesome than an F-14 in a low level pass at mach 2 it will absolutely rock your world!

[sundhaug]

In re the F-14 and Top Gun it's also worth noting that the canopy failing to properly separate in a flat-spin scenario was a real issue