Key Points and Summary – Born for Cold War fleet defense, the F-14 Tomcat paired swing-wing agility with the AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix to hunt bombers at range and still dogfight up close.
-A pilot-RIO crew split the workload, tracking multiple targets and firing beyond visual range while preserving situational awareness.
F-14 Tomcat At Smithsonian. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iran F-14 Tomcat Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Though its early TF30 engines proved temperamental, later F110s unlocked the jet’s full potential.
-In U.S. service, the Tomcat flew 2,500+ combat sorties, dropped 1,400+ bombs, downed Libyan jets in 1981 and 1989, and lost only one aircraft to combat—via mechanical failure. Icon status—and Navy recruiting—soared after Top Gun.
The Outstanding Combat Record Of The F-14 Tomcat
The US Navy fighter pilots and their radar intercept officers (RIOs) loved the F-14 Tomcat for its unmatched long-range fleet defense capabilities, its high-speed, high-altitude interceptor performance with powerful AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, and its versatile variable-sweep wings that provided both agility for dogfights and speed for high-speed flight.
Its powerful radar, capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously, and the two-man crew, allowing for enhanced situational awareness, made it a dominant air superiority fighter.
The variable-sweep wing design, combined with advanced fire-control systems and the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, made the F-14 capable of engaging multiple targets at long distances while still performing close-in combat and engaging in dogfights.
The F-14’s combat record was nearly flawless, with only one aircraft lost during combat, and that was to a mechanical failure.
The Tomcat was born from the Cold War, where the Navy expected the Soviets to unleash a torrent of bombers over the world’s oceans, firing a fusillade of missiles at the Navy’s carrier task forces.
The US missile defenses on the ships were very effective, but the ships needed advanced fighters to defend against the bombers and then engage the fighters accompanying them.
F-14 Tomcat Fighter National Security Journal Photo
At sea aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)– A lone plane captain conducts a walk around inspection of his F-14D Tomcat that is assigned to Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31). THe F-14D is armed with AIM-9 Siderwinder Missiles and a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and a GBU-14. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN (CVW 14) are conducting combat operations in support of Operation Southern Watch. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Third Class (AW/PJ) Philip A. McDaniel. Cleared for release by ALBG PAO, LCDR Jeff Bender.
Meet The F-14 Tomcat
The 1970s have to be considered the golden age of US aviation. During that decade, the United States developed three outstanding fighter aircraft that are still in use fifty years later.
The US Air Force developed the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Falcon, both of which the Air Force still operates with variants that still look indistinguishable from the originals. The Navy developed the F-14 Tomcat, which may or may not still have a few flyable versions left in Iran, although Israeli air strikes in June may have destroyed the final few models left.
When the discussions began for a replacement of the F-4 Phantom jets in the Navy’s carrier air wings, an evaluation was done on the F-111 Aardvark, the Air Force’s fighter-bomber. This would have maintained commonality between the Air Force and the Navy; however, the Aardvark was far too heavy for carrier operations.
The Navy instituted the VFX program to address the issue. Grumman designed its Model 303, which proposed a variable-geometry, two-seat, twin-engined design built around the Hughes AWG-9 weapons system.
F-14D Tomcat Fighter Image from National Security Journal
F-14D Tomcat Fighter NSJ Original Image. Taken by Dr. Brent M. Eastwood.
F-14D Tomcat at Smithsonian In Washington DC. Image by Brent M. Eastwood/National Security Journal.
Grumman had gained considerable experience with “swing-wing” technology from its earlier XF10F Jaguar that had been built only as a prototype. However, the wing design of the A-6 Intruder greatly influenced the technology for the F-14.
A Great Aircraft Powered By Poor Engines
The need for rapid development and fielding of the aircraft dictated the adoption of Pratt & Whitney TF-30 turbofans similar to those used in the F-111. Those propelled the F-14 to a speed of Mach 2.3 or 1,544 mph. The engines, however, were troublesome from the start, having been designed initially for a bomber.
The engines were the cause of far too many flameouts and crashes, and the Navy recognized this, eventually replacing the TF-30s with the General Electric F110 in 1987, which offered even more thrust and eliminated many of the reliability problems associated with the TF-30.
Grumman had a history of naming its aircraft after cats, so the new “Tomcat” made its first flight in December 1970. After several changes following flight testing, the first F-14As were delivered to the Navy in June 1972.
In 1974, the Marine Corps prepared to stand up VMFA-122 at NAS Miramar, but the program was canceled when the Marine Corps decided to retain modified versions of the dependable F-4J Phantom II.
The Tomcat’s “Swing Wing” Technology
The Tomcat variable-geometry wings could automatically swing from a twenty-degree angle up to sixty-eight degrees while in flight. Aircraft with smaller wing surfaces can attain higher speeds, but to take off from short runways—such as carrier runways—requires more wing surface to generate lift.
The Tomcat was designed to keep its wings extended while taking off, landing, and flying at low speeds, and swept in during high-speed dashes. The Tomcat’s wings could be tucked up to seventy-five degrees when parked to make them easier to stow under the carrier’s deck.
The AWG-9 Weapons System
The aircraft’s armament consisted of an internal M-61 20mm cannon; four AIM-7 Sparrow, four AIM-9 Sidewinder, or six AIM-54 Phoenix, four on the fuselage and two on the glove pylons, and two AIM-9 air-to-air missiles.
Other armaments included unguided rockets, dumb bombs, and laser-guided munitions in later variants, including JDAM precision-guided munitions (PGMs), Paveway series of laser-guided bombs, Mk 80 series of unguided iron bombs, and Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster munitions, though its primary strength was in its long-range air-to-air capabilities
The Tomcat’s AWG-9 was the most powerful radar in operational service on combat aircraft until the F-22 Raptor with the APG-77 entered service in 2005.
It had six basic working modes. The Pulse-Doppler Single Target Track (PDSTT) mode was used for long-range AIM-54 missile launches and for attacks on targets emitting strong electronic countermeasures (ECM). The Phoenix missile could hit targets over 120 miles away, traveling at speeds up to Mach 5.
The sophisticated radar and missiles were operated by the backseater on the F-14, known as the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO).
About five years ago, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Dave “BIO” Baranek, and he sent me a copy of his book “Tomcat RIO”, which I reviewed while working for SOFREP. He was a backseater (RIO) in ‘Cats and helped with “Top Gun.”
Still, it could also be deployed to guide AIM-7 Sparrows out to a range of 70km (38 nautical miles) or AIM-9 Sidewinders out to a range of 16km (9 nautical miles).
The F-14’s Combat Record
The F-14 Tomcat was fast enough to intercept Soviet bombers, had radar and missiles capable of detecting and shooting them down over long distances, and the maneuverability to engage in dogfights and defeat agile enemy fighters.
It was one of the world’s best fighters at the time.
The F-14 saw its first combat in August 1981, downing two Libyan Su-22 fighters over the Gulf of Sidra after the Libyans fired a missile at a Tomcat that was escorting an S-3 Viking.
Eight years later, in 1989, two Libyan MiG-23s confronted F-14s from the USS Kennedy, again over the Gulf of Sidra. This time, the American fighters shot down both Libyan aircraft with a Sparrow and a Sidewinder missile.
It saw considerable duty in the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The last F-14 retired from active service with VF-213 in 2006.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the F-14 was that it saw the most combat of any US fighter since Vietnam, but it only shot down five enemy fighters.
However, the Iranians, who owned 78 F-14s that were purchased from the United States back when the Shah was still in power, claimed that during the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian F-14s claimed approximately 150 kills (only 55 were confirmed). In U.S. service, the F-14 flew over 2,500 combat sorties, dropping more than 1,400 bombs with only one aircraft lost to engine failure.
MiG-23. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Navy’s Best Recruiting Tool Was The Tomcat
The Hollywood film “Top Gun” centered around an arrogant, hotshot pilot, but the actual star of the film was the Tomcat. Navy recruiting skyrocketed due to the film, and it remains an icon of American military war films.
According to the US Navy, the box-office success of Top Gun saw their recruitment rates balloon by 500 percent in the year following the original movie’s release.
In fact, in the “Top Gun” film, the Tomcats shot down more fictional MiG-28s than they shot down while in service. That carried over into the Top Gun – Maverick sequel as a Tomcat shot down multiple “enemy” fifth-generation fighters.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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