One of the most distinctive jet fighters of all time, the F-14 Tomcat was officially retired in Navy ceremonies today. Its career spanned over 30 years since its inception in the mid-70’s. While not the 1st swing-wing US fighter, it outlived the Air Force F-111 (which at one time contented against the F-14 for Navy use) by quite a bit.
Distinctive bits of F-14 Lore:
F-14’s were sold to Iran prior to the fall of the Shah and legend has it that Grumman contractors disabled major portions of their fire-control systems on the eve of the Iranian revolution
Primary designed around the AIM-54 Phoenix missile and Hughs AWG-9 fire control system, the Tomcat could track up to 24 targets and simultaneously engage 6 with a full Phoenix load. This was a significant accomplishment in the mid-70’s in terms of computer and radar technology. The AWG-9 was an analog system
Phoenix missiles were retired in 2004
Tomcat’s did shoot down enemy fighters in combat, most notably off the Libyan coast, but the close range engagement required AIM-9 sidewinders and not the Phoenix
Original Tomcat’s were not equiped to carry ground attack ordinance. They were modified in the early 90’s to gain a strike capability
Captain Dale Snodgras (ret.) is the F-14 High-Time pilot with over 4800 hours and 1200 logged carrier landings. Capt Snodgras once flew his F-14 in formation with airshow performer Patty Wagstaff’s Extra 300
The F-14 is replaced by the F/A-18 Super Hornet, a significant upgrade in size and capability of the F/A-18 Hornet
For more reading about the F-14, we invite you to visit the F-14 Reference Work.
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on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 2:56 am and is filed under Planes, Plane Places.
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