interesting f-14 tomcat trivia

[Jack Cook]

We had 3 F-14's stop in a location I cannot tell you in saudi arabia

black ops-Eh????????????
A little googling found this
Clearance trials continued at a slow pace and in July 1992 Fleet squadrons received clearance for GP bombs.
http://www.topedge.com/alley/text/other/bombcat.htm

[Paul Krumrei]

Lets just say that it is not "officially" known about those F-14's and I cannot confirm or deny any of that information, but I may know where some photographic evidence could steer you in my direction.

That is, if they are located and publically available.

I may have to look at something first, before I publish those. I want to make sure I am not "offending" any rules of classification first.

[TimAPNY]

I remember on the 95 cruise CAG-11 on the USS Abe Lincoln sent several aircraft for about 1 week into Saudi Arabia, I don't remember what base it was they went too, I can check my cruise book to see if it says.

I’ll have to see what pictures I have of the F-14s with some bombs loaded. On 97 Tiger Cruise VF-213 dropped 2 Mk-83 for the show. That was pretty cool, not as cool as the wall of water done my A-6s though.

Tim

[Randy Haskin]

Lets just say that it is not "officially" known about those F-14's and I cannot confirm or deny any of that information, but I may know where some photographic evidence could steer you in my direction.

<gives Paul the 'ol whale eye>

You sure these were LGBs?

Just for some context, the F-15E, which was DESIGNED as an LGB-dropping platform, was only partially equipped with LANTIRN pods during Desert Storm. There weren't enough targeting pods around to equip the two squadrons that were in theater. Many F-15E crews weren't even trained to use the targeting pod because there weren't enough to be used for training in the CONUS. As such, the majority of bombs dropped in DS by F-15Es (remember, this was the latest-and-greatest fighter in the DoD at the time?) were unguided GP bombs.

I highly, highly, highly doubt that the F-14, with crews not at all trained in LGB delivery, and an airframe that was not plug-and-play configured for the LANTIRN pod (in other words, it took more than field-level modification), would be toting around LGBs, even in black ops.

I'd be interested in seeing the photos, though.