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The following article on the F-14 Tomcat is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman’s book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


The most significant aircraft of the immediate post-Vietnam period was Grumman’s two-seat F-14 Tomcat, featuring variables weep wings. Optimized for fleet defense, like the Phantom its crew was a pilot and radar intercept officer (RIO). The “Tom” entered service in 1974, with the first two squadrons embarked in Enterprise, covering the American abandonment of South Vietnam in April 1975.

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Unfortunately, the ultimate fleet-defense fighter suffered from inadequate engines, as the Pratt & Whitney TF-30 lacked sufficient power for the heavy airframe and required careful handling. The limited acquisition F-14B and D models achieved the Tomcat’s potential with GE’s F-110 engine providing 60 percent more thrust.

Despite new equipment, funding lagged, including maintenance support. During the Carter administration a fearless F-14 squadron commander said, “When I was a boy growing up in North Carolina I wanted to command a fighter squadron and run a junk yard, and now I’m doing both.” Despite his candor, Monroe “Hawk” Smith retired as a captain.

The F-14 appeared in many aerial engagements in the 1980s. In 1989 Libya asserted an offshore territorial claim, far into international waters, drawing a U.S. response. The John F. Kennedy battle group arrived on station, resulting in an aerial engagement on January 4, 1989. Two F-14s maneuvered against two Libyan MiG-23s, destroying both. The two Libyan engagements ended the Navy Tomcat’s record at 4–0, although Iran’s F-14s saw extensive combat during the 1980–88 war with Iraq.


This article is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman’s book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can also buy the book by clicking on the buttons to the left.

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Cite This Article
"F-14 Tomcat: The Supersonic Fighter" History on the Net
© 2000-2024, Salem Media.
March 27, 2024 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/f-14-tomcat>
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