Tomcat camo question

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:11 pm

I have never followed contemporary military aircraft especially closely, so I always have dumb questions that I should know the answers to.

Anyway, this shot was done in 2000. I have a shot from the same period of an F-18 in a similar pattern. In a time of flat grey paint schemes why was the Navy painting birds up like this?

I still miss the Tomcat. I'll never forget a show at Salinas California very early in the F-14 era when a pilot brought one in a bit after sunset and asked the tower if he could "burn off some excess fuel". He put on an absolutely amazing (and deafening) display of full burner playing around -- an amazing sight in the gathering darkness...

eallen · **Posted:** Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:20 pm

Topgun...Or later incarnation at Fallon...NSAWC...aggressor scheme...a al Iranian Air Force...?

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:42 pm

I kind of thought that something like that might be the case (the shot was done at the Reno Air Races), but could not quite imagine even our government committing something as absurdly expensive to operate as an F-14 to that kind of duty...

jtramo · **Joined:** Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:39 pm **Posts:** 359

Well using the Tomcat is the BEST was to simulate combat with a Tomcat. Or so Ive heard.

Speedy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:03 pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggressor ... cat-IR.jpg

Snake45 · **Joined:** Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:49 pm **Posts:** 864

Neal Nurmi wrote:

...could not quite imagine even our government committing something as absurdly expensive to operate as an F-14 to that kind of duty...

There is NOTHING "too expensive" for our "government" if somebody important enough wants it. After all it's not their money they're spending. It all just goes on a credit card that will never be paid anyway....

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:35 am

They had loads of them painted in weird markings. Some were actual Iranian Tomcats that were never delivered.
http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-squadron-nfws.htm
This one is my favorite:

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Sun Jul 19, 2015 12:55 pm

There were 80 Tomcats in the IIAF order. All got delivered except for one:

http://www.military-quotes.com/media/fi ... omcat.html

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:20 pm

How many were still operational or nearly so in 1980?

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Neal Nurmi wrote:

I have never followed contemporary military aircraft especially closely, so I always have dumb questions that I should know the answers to.

You should know by now, that the dumbest question is the one that is never asked. How else are we going to learn, if not by asking? No one is born knowing it all, and little by little, we build up our knowledge. ASK! ASK! We all learn a little with every question, and every answer!

Saludos,

Tulio

hercules130 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:26 am

A few pictures of BuNo 160913 about 10 years ago.

Enjoy,

Gary

Warbird Information Exchange

Tomcat camo question

Who is online