"More about Tomcat`s History"

Fleet Defender		United States Navy's Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat...sleek...powerful...deadly...and the REAL star of the movie Top Gun. The F-14 Tomcat followed a history of "Cats" in the military. The F-4F Wildcat and the F-6F Hellcat that fought in the skies years before the Tomcat ever bit the air. In the late 1960's, the US Navy dropped its TFX program, and decided to focus on an aircraft dedicated to fleet defense. Grumman had already begun developing the F-14, and was definitely headed for a "Cat" designation. The person responsible for this project was Admiral Tom Conolly, Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Air. The aircraft was dubbed "Tom's Cat" long before the official name of "Tomcat" was ever adopted.

The final prototype of the F-14 took off on May 24th, 1971, with its variable-geometry wings for speed and greater stability. In full forward-sweep position,the wings provided the lift needed for slow-speed flight, especially needed during carrier landings. In swept-back positions, the wings blend into the aircraft, giving the F-14 Tomcat a dart-like silhouette for high-speed, super-sonic flight. By 1972, the first of the F-14 Tomcat's off the production line were sent to the US Navy. The F-14 Tomcat was designed to carry a million dollar missile, the AIM-54 Phoenix. The AIM-54 has a range of over 100 miles and sole purpose was to destroy Soviet bombers. The F-14 Tomcat program came down to a test at the Naval Missile Test Center at Point Mugu, CA in November, 1973. The Pentagon wanted an aircraft that could take on six different targets at once, and on that day in November, the Tomcat demonstrated that ability. Six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles were launched at 6 different drone targets at the test range. Only one of the six missiles failed to hit its target. The Pentagon was sold, and the F-14 Tomcat program was in full swing. In 1974, two squadrons were formed with the F-14 Tomcat to begin naval operations. The VF-1 Wolfpack and the VF-2 Bounty Hunters aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) received the honor of the first F-14 Tomcat Fighter Squadrons. However, it would not be for another seven years before the F-14 Tomcat would ever prove itself in real combat.

[MiG-23] 1981. Libya. Khadafi (there are about 10 different ways to spell the loser's name, so forgive me if this isn't the way you would, but who really cares, right?) sends two Sukoi Su-22 fighter jets to take on a couple of United States fighter jets: The F-14 Tomcat. The Result: The loss of two Su-22 jets. Again, on January 15th, 1989, Khadafi challenges the US Naval forces by sending two MiG-23 Floggers to test the American military and find out how far they could push the US. The MiG's vectored on two A-6 Intruder's, after which the A-6's turned away, and two F-14 Tomcat's on CAP were sent to meet the MiG's head-on. Previous encounters with the Libyan Air Force resulted with the Libyan aircraft turning tail, and returning back to Libyan airspace. This encounter was not going to end so easily. What is probably the most publicized air-combat sequence took place and lasted over 6 minutes, an eternity to the pilots and RIO's flying the two Tomcat's involved in this battle. Then end result was still the same, however. US-4, Libya-0.

The Tomcat's also saw some active action during Operation Desert Storm providing CAP (Combat Air Patrol) for bombers and other aircraft, and also performing TARPS (Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System) missions. One F-14 Tomcat was shot down by ground fire, but no other Tomcat's were lost. Only one combat kill was credited to the Tomcat using the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile to down an Iraqi Mil Mi-8 "Hip", a Soviet-made transport helicopter.

In late 1995, the F-14 Tomcat took on a new, and completely different role in military combat over targets in Bosnia...they became bombers. Dubbed "Bombcat's", these new bombers dropped LGB "smart bombs" while other aircraft painted the targets with lasers.

[Weapons]
One of the defensive weapons of an F-14 Tomcat consists of a fixed 6-barrel M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm cannon located on the lower left side of the aircraft, underneath the pilot. The aircraft has 4 weapon pallets, and 2 weapon pylons, able to carry AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrows, and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The heart and deadly aspect of the F-14 Tomcat is its unique ability to carry the AIM-54 Phoenix. The Tomcat was built for that purpose, and it is the only platform that can carry the Phoenix. At most, the Tomcat can carry six (6) AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. The Phoenix missile has a range of over 100 miles, and the Tomcat's powerful AWG-9 (F-14A) pulse-Doppler radar can track up to 6 targets at once. With the AIM-54 and AWG-9 working in tandem, the F-14 Tomcat can down aircraft without ever being seen by the enemy. However, the expensive nature of the Phoenix missile deem this missile as a last resort or for use against enemy Exocet or anti-ship missiles. The F-14 "D" model houses the APG-71 digital radar.

F-14 Tomcat Slideshow Presentation

F-14 Tomcat crash in Nashville		F-14 In The News
CNN Coverage I	CNN Coverage II	Crash: Feb. 18th, 1996	Tomcat's Stand-down for 3 days
CNN Coverage III	CNN Coverage IV Linked to Tomcat's Hangar	Upgrade to Curb Accidents	Another Tomcat Incident April 17, 1996
Pilot Error		Cause of April 17 Crash Still Unknown

Other F-14 Tomcat Web/Home Pages & Miscellaneous Sites
US Navy's F-14 Informational Site	Northrop Grumman - Home of the F-14
Tomcat's Lair	F-14 Digital Flight Control System at Pax River
Tomcat Strike Fighter Weapons School Unofficial Website	Simon's Tomcat Page
US Navy's Fact File: F-14 Tomcat	Maverick's Website
Chief's Military Aircraft Stuff
Return to Tomcat's Hangar

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