Grumman F-14A Tomcat: Top Gun of the Naval Fleet

The Grumman F-14A Tomcat was built for one purpose: to protect US Navy aircraft carriers and sea battle groups from long-range bombers armed with low-level grazing missiles. Only the Tomcat had the ability to intercept and destroy the threat of bombers before they came within target range of battle group ships. The TF-30 aircraft’s high-thrust turbofans and tilt-wing design allowed the large fighter to operate from short carrier decks with the aid of a steam catapult. Its ability to take off quickly from the carrier, climb impressively to altitude, easily maneuver into target position, and accelerate to Mach 2+ intercept speed, made it a very lethal fleet defender. The Tomcat used its own radar, as well as the E-2 Hawkeye’s long-range radar to detect the enemy, and had the ability to engage six targets at once 150 km away.

The F-14A crew was the elite of the elite, as they were tasked with protecting a battlegroup of 10 $15 billion warships with 10,000 sailors and more firepower than any nation’s entire armed forces. The pilot and naval flight officer in the back seat had to function as a well-coordinated team to execute precision flights and perform their missions to exacting standards. The F-14 made its first kills in August 1981 when Tomcat pilots Cdr Hank Kleeman and Lt Larry Muszynski of squadron VF-41 Black Aces shot down two marauding Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitters. Another incident of a similar nature occurred in 1989 when two F-14s shot down a pair of Mig-23s in the same area. The Tomcat has proven to be very capable of combat as an interceptor and fleet defender.

The key to the aircraft’s great success was its very powerful Hughes AN/AWG-9 radar, which allowed it to detect enemy targets at very long ranges and even made it possible for the Tomcat to shoot down cruise missiles. The AIM Phoenix missile used by the tomcat would cruise to the target and then use its own radar to locate and destroy the enemy. The F-14 also carried the AIM Sidewinder and AIM Sparrow. The Tomcat could increase its range or endurance by carrying external tanks or using in-flight refueling. F-14 Tomcats could defend airspace 650 km from the carrier with the help of an E-2C Hawkeye and air-to-air refueling. The swing wing design of the fighters allowed it to be highly maneuverable at both low and high speed. The Tomcat was officially withdrawn from active service with the US Navy Fleet in September 2006, and was replaced by the Boeing F/A-18/F Super Hornet. As of 2009, the F-14 was only in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and was exported to Iran in 1976 when the US had friendly diplomatic relations with the government at the time. The F-14 Tomcat was the warplane of choice for most US Navy pilots as it was a tremendous fighting machine and truly one of the best superfighters to every take on the skies.