F-14B Bombcat
Aircraft role	Attacker
Manufacturer	Northrop Grumman
Real-world origin	United States of America
AC installments	Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Primary operator	Osea (OMDF)
Secondary operators	Yuktobania (YAF)
Plane variant(s)	F-14A Tomcat F-14D Super Tomcat
[Source]

The F-14B Bombcat is a plane exclusive to Ace Combat 5. As the name suggests, it has GPB as it's secondary weapon, and is the most capable aircraft for air-to-ground missions out of the F-14 line of planes.

DescriptionEdit

Initially known as the F-14A+ (Plus) the F-14B is an improved variant of the original F-14A. The F-14As were initially fitted with the TF-30 turbofan engine, originally designed for the F-111F Aardvark strike fighter. However, since the F-14 was designed as a high-performance fighter/interceptor, its constant maneuvering often caused the engines to suffer from compressor stalls, since they were not intended for such stressful maneuvers. As a result this hampered much of the F-14's early career. In March 1987, much needed upgrades given to a new batch of F-14s, most important of, were the new, more powerful and much more reliable General Electric F110-400 after-burning turbofans derived from those of the F-16's; thus giving the new F-14Bs and Ds far greater potential than with the troublesome TF-30s.

All Tomcat models had bomb carrying capability from the beginning, but they were not implemented until after Operation Desert Storm. The bomb carrying F-14s were often nicknamed "Bombcats". Despite having a limited air-to-ground weapons selection, the F-14s were seen to be very successful in carrying out effective strikes on enemy targets. All variants of the F-14 Tomcat, including the F-14B, have been retired from U.S Navy service as of 2006.

ArmamentsEdit

Standard WeaponsEdit

• Gun: 1x 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon
• Missile: AIM-9M Sidewinder

Special WeaponsEdit

• GPB: GBU-24 Paveway III (shown as GBU-31 JDAM when parked in hangar during aircraft purchase/selection screens) (AC5)

StatisticsEdit

• Speed: 78
• Mobility: 54
• Stability: 61
• Defense: 60
• Air-to-Air: 47
• Air-to-Ground: 61

Comparable AircraftEdit

• F-15C Eagle
• F/A-18E Super Hornet
• F/A-18F Super Hornet
• Tornado F.2
• Tornado F3
• Su-27 Flanker
• MiG-31 Foxhound
• MiG-31M Foxhound
• F-15E Strike Eagle

Related DevelopmentEdit

• F-14A Tomcat
• F-14D Super Tomcat

SourcesEdit

• Wikipedia.org
• GlobalSecurity.org