Grumman Tomcat FR.1

[scooter]

As with Librarian, getting a jump on the boards with naught but a decision to take an Academy F-14A and go RAF for the build.

Knocked this up as a bit of inspiration-



Edit: Forgot it's an FR not GR...

[eatthis]

could be an fgr

[scooter]

could be an fgr

I thought about that, but Bomb-cat puts it out of the general timeline

[Captain Canada]

Looking forward to this one !

[Weaver]

could be an fgr

I thought about that, but Bomb-cat puts it out of the general timeline

They were cleared for at least dumb bombs during development IIRC, the USN just chose not to use the capability until much later. No reason why the RAF had to copy them though, and the added versatility might have gone some way to justify the price.

Name-wise, since they'd most likely be based in Scotland at Lossiemouth, you could always change 'Tomcat' to 'Wildcat' since Scotland still has a native population of the latter: http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/

[Thorvic]

To be honest it would most likely be just a Tomcat F-1 in RAF service as an Air Defence Interceptor, tactical recon would stay with the Tactical Strike Aircraft so given the timeframe it would be Tomcats instead of developing the Tornado ADV. To be honest its quite plausible as the ADV role is similar to the Carrier CAP role with the threat being missile carrying Soviet bombers so the bigger longer range kick of the Tomcat/Phoenix mix.

Should look quite a tasty build in the ADV grey scheme and suitable RAF fighter unit markings 

[eatthis]

wouldve been great alongside tsr2 in service

[Weaver]

To be honest it would most likely be just a Tomcat F-1 in RAF service as an Air Defence Interceptor, tactical recon would stay with the Tactical Strike Aircraft so given the timeframe it would be Tomcats instead of developing the Tornado ADV. To be honest its quite plausible as the ADV role is similar to the Carrier CAP role with the threat being missile carrying Soviet bombers so the bigger longer range kick of the Tomcat/Phoenix mix.

Should look quite a tasty build in the ADV grey scheme and suitable RAF fighter unit markings  

It would never 'just' be the F.1. By the time they'd specified a bunch of peculiar-to-user modifications for the RAF's 'unique' requirements and to increase the UK content, then had them all go wrong and take twice as much time and three times as much money to get working, they'd be up to F.3, 1986 and at least one ministerial resignation before the RAF got a sniff of them...

[scooter]

Any way...Progress at the Grumman plant attached to KACY was humming along on the prototype FR.1, when Carl decided to tow the fuselage from the paint shop...into a ditch, separating the forward fuselage from the rest of the a/c.    Repairs will be made once fully dry.   

[sandiego89]

Any way...Progress at the Grumman plant attached to KACY was humming along on the prototype FR.1, when Carl decided to tow the fuselage from the paint shop...into a ditch, separating the forward fuselage from the rest of the a/c....

Luckily not as bad as the damage to the original real Tomcat....that one was a total loss on short final- good luck with the rebuild!

-Dave

[kerick]

That sucks!

[scooter]

Thanks guys.  Damage has been fixed, filler putty drying, and Carl sentenced to a stretching.  The biggest issue I have with the Academy F-14A (besides the 3 piece fuselage itself) is the fact that the forward fuselage has no alignment tabs for the main body- so fragile join until the forward Phoenix pallets are installed.