F-14 Tomcat First Recorded Gun/Aim-54 Phoenix Kill | 1980-1988

If You’d like to Support the Channel on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/GrowlingSidewinder

Check out the Merch Store: https://teespring.com/stores/growling-sidewinder-store

Link to join Discord: https://discord.gg/kA6x5R4

Amazon Links for the products I use if you’re interested:
_________________________________________________________

Link for Thrustmaster 16000M: https://amzn.to/2PQGYf2
Link for Trackir 5: https://amzn.to/2VSN4kt
Link for Warthog throttle/stick: https://amzn.to/2Vbfhyp

Social Media
________________________________________________________
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrowlingAim9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrowlingAim9/

Contact me:
[email protected]

My Computer Specs Including Head Tracking and HOTAS Throttle/Joystick:
HP OMEN 880-130 – Windows 10
Intel Core i7-8700K
2TB HDD / 1TB SSD
32GB DDR4 RAM
GTX 1080 Ti
HeadTracker: Trackir5
Thrustmaster F/A-18C Hornet stick and Warthog Throttle.

The Iran Iraq War raged from the 22nd September 1980 when formal hostiles began until the 20th of August 1988. However, there were skirmishes between the 2 sides as early as the 4th of September, almost 2 and a half weeks earlier than the officially accepted start date of the conflict. Almost Immediately after the skirmishes Iran started bringing more and more of its F-14s back up to operational standard and preparing the American trained crews for service.

Following the Iranian Revolution most of its 77 surviving F-14s were not operational most of them suffering from non functioning AWG-9 Radars. Initially Iranian F-14s were heavily dependent on Ground Control Intercept to intercept Iraqi threats but as the weeks went by more and more F-14s came up to full operational standard and could now depend on their own AWG-9 Radars. Around the 22nd of September 1980 as many as 12 F-14s were back in service and were in the air flying combat air patrol along the Iran Iraq border.
On the 7th of September five mi-25 Iraqi helicopters penetrated Iranian air space and started hitting ground targets. Their violation of Iranian air space was detected by Iranian radar stations and two F-14s were scrambled and vectored to intercept.

After only a few minutes the Lead F-14 Spotted and Mi-25 and dove in the pilot attempted a sidewinder lock against the heat of the ground. The Iranians were firing the Aim9P sidewinders that were defiantly a significant improvement over the Vietnam era Aim9Bs and Es but they weren’t good enough to pick out the hot engine of a helicopter out of the ground clutter of a hot day. The Missile lost lock and flew into the ground beside the Iraqi Helicopter the Iranian Tomcat quickly came around for another pass and took another shot at the Iraqi Helicopter, and once again the Sidewinder Lost track and smashed into the ground near the Iraqi Helicopter.

The Iranian Tomcat had had enough and came in for a gun run. The Tomcat Pilot put the Piper over the Mi-25 and pulled the trigger peppering the mi-25 with 20mm rounds from his M61A1 Vulcan gun. Needless to say, the Iraqi Helicopter spiraled to the ground and exploded.

It was therefore an Iranian F-14A Tomcat that scored the First Gun kill. Navy Legend has it that some early F-14 pilots vowed to erect a monument to the first pilot who achieved a gun kill in the F-14 in a combat situation. However its unlikely that the Iranian Pilot who shot down the Mi-25 will ever publically unveil his true identity.

A few days later, The Iranian F-14s would achieve another “first” when on the 13th of September 1980 the Iranian Air Force High Command authorized the use of the Aim54 in combat. An F-14A Tomcat Flown by Maj Mohammad-Reza Attaie was assigned to patrol a sector of Iranian Air space where a high volume of Iraqi aircraft were spotted in the past few days. Before long the Iranian F-14 found an Iraqi Mig-23 and shot it down with an Aim-54 Phoenix.

This Video was made using the simulator, DCS, or Digital Combat Simulator and is one of the premier Flight Combat Simulators available on the market today. Always expanding and getting better and adding new modules and terrains/maps for everyone to enjoy, not to mention no shortage of sales so you can pick up planes for very cheap from time to time. Defiantly worth checking out some of the best modules in the game, from the F-16 Viper to the F-18 Hornet The F-14 Tomcat, to the Mirage the JF-17 Thunder all the way back to world war 2 planes and even Korean war Mig-15s and F-86 Sabres. All around one of the greatest Flight Simulator experiences around.