Me: F/A-18F EPE with 4 x AIM-9X and 6 x AIM-120, gun, tank
Opposition: F-14A Thirdwire with 2 x AIM-9L and 6 x Sparrow
Started off neutral and ended up in a maneuver fight. Compared to the MF F-14 the TW model has better energy management, to a degree. We overshot but both of us failed to fire a weapon at each other. So I turned into him hard and blacked out for a few seconds. I've noticed the second time that the TW F-14A can get into a six position despite my better maneuverability but takes too long to make a shot and I always pull out of it. I turned into him and then he entered a slow turning fight, with me trying not to overshoot. If I wasn't then yes I would have and he would have probably gunned me down, so instead I used my airbrakes and throttled to idle. This put him in front of me and inverted I fed him a 9X, killing him.
Takeaways: The newer FM makes the Tomcat a tough opponent but if you stay aware of his capabilities then you can end up behind him and when he levels off with little energy it doesn't take much to shoot him down.