BoeingFan7879
Grumman F-14A Tomcat
The U.S. Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter had entered service. However, it was ordered by the then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B failed in nearly every way except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. It was canceled soon after, and the competition was reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a more unique design.
The subsequent F-14A Tomcat was the last entry in the famous 'Grumman Cat' series of U.S. Naval fighters. It first flew in December of 1970 and was placed into production soon after. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111Bs and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcats had a much sleeker appearance and were lighter. The F-14s had a diverse arsenal of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm Gatling cannon. This directly responded to the lessons learned in Vietnam, where the Navy's F-4 Phantoms desperately needed internal armaments. Despite its larger size, the F-14 proved an excellent dogfighter, a testament to its unique design and capabilities.
The only real drawback to the design was the engines, which it shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and even explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the U.S. Navy, attempts were made to sell the plane to the air forces of Canada, Germany, and Japan; however, the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) would be the only foreign customer for the aircraft with 79 out of an order of 100 aircraft being delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The F-14 Tomcat, after entering service in 1974, quickly proved its worth in combat. Its first significant action was in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, where Iranian F-14s, including the only F-14 ace, Jalil Zandi, achieved several kills. The first American combat with the F-14s came in 1981 when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add two more kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s again over the Gulf of Sidra. These early successes set the stage for the F-14's impressive combat history.
The high losses due to problems with the TF30s (Up to 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem throughout its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+ was redesigned as the F-14B in 1991, incorporating all wartime refits and, most importantly, new General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A's simple under-nose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14's pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight. These improvements significantly enhanced the F-14's combat capabilities.
Most of the F-14As were upgraded to B standards, along with 67 newly-built aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action in the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats. After this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D "Super Tomcat" variant, with completely upgraded avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a "glass" cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standards, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds) due to the increasing age of the design.
Ironically, the U.S. Navy's Tomcat finale came not as a fighter but as a bomber. To cover the retirements of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14's latent bomb capabilities were finally utilized, allowing the 'Bombcat' to carry precision-guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The beloved F-14 Tomcats were finally retired from U.S. Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. Today, there are over 80 Tomcats on display across the U.S. while most were scrapped. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.
This F-14A, BuNo 160684, was built in December of 1978 and delivered to Fighter Squadron 111, the famous "Sundowners," aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 1979. It would serve a good portion of its career aboard the Kitty Hawk with a notable action in this aircraft's career occurring in October 1985. This aircraft intercepted an EgyptAir Boeing 737 carrying the four Italian cruise ship Achilles Lauro hijackers. Under direct orders from President Reagan, the F-14 intercepted the plane 80 miles south of Crete. It flew wing to wing with the 737, forcing it to land safely at a NATO air base in Sicily. 160684 finished its career with VF-124 ("Gunfighters"), which served as the Fleet Replacement Squadron for F-14 units then operating in the Pacific Fleet, as well as aircraft for students in the Top Gun program. When VF-124 was disestablished in 1994 with the gradual post-Cold War drawdown of all Tomcat squadrons, 160684 was also retired. In 1994, she was spared from the scrapper's torch and donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
In this author's opinion, VF-111 was the ultimatum in Tomcat markings. Besides putting tail codes, numbers, and carrier names in bright red, VF-111 was the only F-14 squadron to paint their aircraft with shark mouths. The squadron's "Sundowner" emblem was carried on the ventral fin on some aircraft, including this one; on some squadron's aircraft, it took up the entire tail. The name and emblem refer to the squadron's impressive record against the Japanese in World War II. F-14 units carried the overall light gray camouflage in the 1980s, though they were usually not this glossy.
If there is someone who grew up in the 80s who was not a fan of "Top Gun," I have yet to meet them; it was awesome to see an F-14 in such a fantastic condition! In my opinion, the Tomcat is one of the sexiest American fighter jet designs of all time!
Grumman F-14A Tomcat
The U.S. Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter had entered service. However, it was ordered by the then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B failed in nearly every way except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. It was canceled soon after, and the competition was reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a more unique design.
The subsequent F-14A Tomcat was the last entry in the famous 'Grumman Cat' series of U.S. Naval fighters. It first flew in December of 1970 and was placed into production soon after. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111Bs and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcats had a much sleeker appearance and were lighter. The F-14s had a diverse arsenal of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm Gatling cannon. This directly responded to the lessons learned in Vietnam, where the Navy's F-4 Phantoms desperately needed internal armaments. Despite its larger size, the F-14 proved an excellent dogfighter, a testament to its unique design and capabilities.
The only real drawback to the design was the engines, which it shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and even explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the U.S. Navy, attempts were made to sell the plane to the air forces of Canada, Germany, and Japan; however, the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) would be the only foreign customer for the aircraft with 79 out of an order of 100 aircraft being delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The F-14 Tomcat, after entering service in 1974, quickly proved its worth in combat. Its first significant action was in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, where Iranian F-14s, including the only F-14 ace, Jalil Zandi, achieved several kills. The first American combat with the F-14s came in 1981 when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add two more kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s again over the Gulf of Sidra. These early successes set the stage for the F-14's impressive combat history.
The high losses due to problems with the TF30s (Up to 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem throughout its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+ was redesigned as the F-14B in 1991, incorporating all wartime refits and, most importantly, new General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A's simple under-nose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14's pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight. These improvements significantly enhanced the F-14's combat capabilities.
Most of the F-14As were upgraded to B standards, along with 67 newly-built aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action in the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats. After this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D "Super Tomcat" variant, with completely upgraded avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a "glass" cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standards, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds) due to the increasing age of the design.
Ironically, the U.S. Navy's Tomcat finale came not as a fighter but as a bomber. To cover the retirements of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14's latent bomb capabilities were finally utilized, allowing the 'Bombcat' to carry precision-guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The beloved F-14 Tomcats were finally retired from U.S. Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. Today, there are over 80 Tomcats on display across the U.S. while most were scrapped. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.
This F-14A, BuNo 160684, was built in December of 1978 and delivered to Fighter Squadron 111, the famous "Sundowners," aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 1979. It would serve a good portion of its career aboard the Kitty Hawk with a notable action in this aircraft's career occurring in October 1985. This aircraft intercepted an EgyptAir Boeing 737 carrying the four Italian cruise ship Achilles Lauro hijackers. Under direct orders from President Reagan, the F-14 intercepted the plane 80 miles south of Crete. It flew wing to wing with the 737, forcing it to land safely at a NATO air base in Sicily. 160684 finished its career with VF-124 ("Gunfighters"), which served as the Fleet Replacement Squadron for F-14 units then operating in the Pacific Fleet, as well as aircraft for students in the Top Gun program. When VF-124 was disestablished in 1994 with the gradual post-Cold War drawdown of all Tomcat squadrons, 160684 was also retired. In 1994, she was spared from the scrapper's torch and donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
In this author's opinion, VF-111 was the ultimatum in Tomcat markings. Besides putting tail codes, numbers, and carrier names in bright red, VF-111 was the only F-14 squadron to paint their aircraft with shark mouths. The squadron's "Sundowner" emblem was carried on the ventral fin on some aircraft, including this one; on some squadron's aircraft, it took up the entire tail. The name and emblem refer to the squadron's impressive record against the Japanese in World War II. F-14 units carried the overall light gray camouflage in the 1980s, though they were usually not this glossy.
If there is someone who grew up in the 80s who was not a fan of "Top Gun," I have yet to meet them; it was awesome to see an F-14 in such a fantastic condition! In my opinion, the Tomcat is one of the sexiest American fighter jet designs of all time!