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 bomber threat before they came within targeting range of the 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 quickly take off from the carrier, impressively climb to altitude, easily maneuver into target position, and accelerate to an intercept speed of Mach 2+, made it a very deadly defender of the fleet. 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, tasked with protecting a $15 billion battle group of 10 warships with 10,000 sailors and more firepower than any nation’s entire armed forces. The pilot and naval flight officer in the backseat 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 the VF-41 Black Aces squadron 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 shown great combat capability 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 navigate to the target and then use its own radar to locate and destroy the enemy. The F-14 also carried the AIM Sidewinder and the AIM Sparrow. The Tomcat could increase its range or endurance by carrying external tanks or using in-flight refueling. The F-14 Tomcats could defend airspace within 650 km of 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 speeds. The Tomcat was officially retired from active service with the US Navy Fleet in September 2006, 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 in every shot of the skies.
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