1. Project Background: F-14 Wing Sweep

The Gumman F-14  is an air superiority fighter aircraft which was originally designed in the late 1960s. The platform was commissioned and primarily operated by the United States Navy from 1974 to 2006.  This aircraft is particularly unique because of its successful implementation of variable wing sweep mechanism. This mechanism allows the sweep angle of the wings to change during flight to optimize the aircraft's performance for different scenarios. The mechanism could also be used to actuate the wings into a non-operational "oversweep" position to reduce the area required to store the aircraft on carriers. When swept forward, the wings provide greater maneuverability for combat, whereas reduced drag when swept back allows for much more efficient cruising at high speeds. The wing sweep mechanism was originally designed to automatically adjust sweep angle based on the speed of the aircraft. A fight simulator demonstration of the mechanism is shown to the right.