Editing Grumman F-14 Tomcat (section)

===Avionics and flight controls===
The [[cockpit]] has two seats, arranged in [[tandem]], outfitted with [[Martin-Baker Mk.7|Martin-Baker GRU-7A]] rocket-propelled [[ejection seat]]s, rated from zero altitude and zero airspeed up to 450 [[knot (unit)|knots]].<ref>Dorr 1991, p. 51.</ref> The [[Aircraft canopy|canopy]] is spacious, and fitted with four mirrors to effectively provide all-round visibility. Only the pilot has [[Aircraft flight control system|flight controls]]; the flight instruments themselves are of a hybrid analog-digital nature.<ref name="baugher2"/> The cockpit also features a [[head-up display]] (HUD) to show primarily navigational information; several other avionics systems such as communications and direction-finders are integrated into the AWG-9 radar's display. A feature of the F-14 is its [[F-14 CADC|Central Air Data Computer]] (CADC), designed by [[Garrett AiResearch]], that forms the onboard integrated flight control system. It uses a [[MOSFET]]-based [[Large-Scale Integration]] [[chipset]].<ref>Holt, Ray M. [http://firstmicroprocessor.com/ "The F-14A 'Tom Cat' Microprocessor."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909132907/http://firstmicroprocessor.com/ |date=9 September 2009}} firstmicroprocessor.com, 23 February 2009. Retrieved: 8 December 2009.</ref>

[[File:F-14 Tomcat with landing gear down.jpg|thumb|left|F-14 with landing gear deployed]]
[[File:Grumman F-14 Tomcat nose detail.jpg|thumb|left|F-14D AN/AAS-42 IRST and the TCS camera placed side-by-side under the nose]]

The aircraft's large nose contains a two-person crew and several bulky [[avionics]] systems. The main element is the Hughes AN/AWG-9 [[X band]] radar; the antenna is a {{convert|36|in|cm|abbr=on}}-wide [[planar array]], and has integrated [[Identification friend or foe]] antennas. The AWG-9 has several search and tracking modes, such as [[Track while scan]] (TWS), Range-While-Search (RWS), [[Pulse-Doppler]] Single-Target Track (PDSTT), and Jam Angle Track (JAT); a maximum of 24 targets can be tracked simultaneously, and six can be engaged in TWS mode up to around {{convert|60|mi|abbr=on}}. [[Cruise missile]]s are also possible targets with the AWG-9, which [[Look-down/shoot-down|can lock onto and track small objects even at low altitude]] when in Pulse-Doppler mode.<ref name="baugher2"/> For the F-14D, the AWG-9 was replaced by the upgraded APG-71 radar. The [[Joint Tactical Information Distribution System]] (JTIDS)/Link 16 for data communications was added later on.<ref>[http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1235.html "Interoperability: A Continuing Challenge in Coalition Air Operations."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307061227/http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1235.html |date=7 March 2012}} RAND Monograph Report. pp. 108, 111. Retrieved: 16 November 2010.</ref>

The F-14 also features [[Electronic countermeasure|electronic countermeasures (ECM)]] and [[radar warning receiver]] (RWR) systems, [[Chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]]/[[Flare (countermeasure)|flare]] dispensers, fighter-to-fighter data link, and a precise [[inertial navigation system]].<ref name="baugher2"/> The early navigation system was inertial-based; point-of-origin coordinates were programmed into a navigation computer and [[gyroscope]]s would track the aircraft's every motion to calculate distance and direction from that starting point. [[Global Positioning System]] later was integrated to provide more precise navigation and redundancy in case either system failed. The chaff/flare dispensers are located on the underside of the fuselage and on the tail. The F-14 was initially equipped with the AN/ALR-45/50 RWR system, while later production aircraft were equipped with the [[AN/ALR-67]]; the RWR system consists of several antennas on the aircraft's fuselage, which can roughly calculate both direction and distance of enemy radar users; it can also differentiate between search radar, tracking radar, and missile-homing radar.<ref>[http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/an-alr-67.htm "AN/ALR-67(V)3 Advanced Special Receiver."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603201848/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/an-alr-67.htm |date=3 June 2010}} [[Federation of American Scientists]]. Retrieved: 29 December 2009.</ref>

Featured in the sensor suite was the AN/ALR-23, an [[infrared search and track]] (IRST) sensor using [[indium antimonide]] detectors, mounted under the nose; however the system was unreliable and was replaced by an optical system, Northrop's AAX-1, also designated TCS (TV   Set). The AAX-1 helps pilots visually identify and track aircraft, {{citation needed span|up to a range of {{convert|60|mi|km}} for large aircraft|date=September 2022}}. The radar and the AAX-1 are linked, allowing the one detector to follow the direction of the other.<ref name="wapj19p1256">Lake 1994, pp. 125–126</ref> A dual infrared/optical detection system was adopted on the later F-14D, with the new AN/AAS-42 IRST and the TCS placed side-by-side.<ref name="wapj19p137">Lake 1994, p. 137</ref>