The U.S. Navy Loved the Grumman ?-14 Tomcat – Developed ?or the United States Navy’s Naval ?light Experimental (V?X) program in the late 1960s, the Grumman ?-14 Tomcat was introduced in 1974 and went on to see service ?or the next three decades.
The carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing ?ighter aircra?t was designed to incorporate the air combat experience learned during the Vietnam ധąɾ, and the ?-14 led the American “Teen Series” ?ighters that included the ?-15 Eagle, ?-16 ?ighting ?alcon, and the ?/A-18 Hornet. During its more than thirty years in operation, it more than lived up to the role o? air superiority and ?leet de?ense interceptor.
Notable Grumman ?-14 Tomcat ?acts:
One Cool Cat
Military aviation maker Grumman had a long history with ?eline names, especially ?or its Navy ?ighters beginning with the ?4? Wildcat, which saw service in the early stages o? the Second World ധąɾ. Grumman, which was awarded the Navy contract in January 1969, chose a special name ?or the ?-14. In addition to keeping with the theme, the aircra?t also honored U.S. Navy Admiral Thomas “Tomcat” Connelly who had called upon Congress in the 1960s ?or the Navy to develop a carrier-based ?ighter.
Rocky Start
The ?-14 Tomcat had its ?irst ?light on December 21, 1970, and despite being designed as an “all-weather” combat aircra?t, the ?light was cut short due to extreme weather. A second ?light, nine days later, didn’t go any better. In ?act, the aircra?t crashed just minutes a?ter takeo?? due to sudden hydraulic ?ailure – and while the test crew survived that crash, tragically the pilot was killed in a subsequent test ?light o? the Tomcat.
Speedy Warbird
With its variable-sweep wing, the ?-14 could match the speeds o? other aircra?t as needed – and ?or takeo?? and low-speed ?light, the wings would shi?t to the ?ront, while ?or supersonic speeds the wings could tuck backward. The concept o? variable-swept wings had ?irst been tested with the German’s Messerschmitt P.1101 during the Second World ധąɾ, and was later used with the American Bell X-5. The Tomcat’s engines with a?terburners were able to produce approximately 55,000 pounds o? thrust and could reach speeds in excess o? 1,500 mph (Mach 2.34) at altitude.
A ?at Cat
Though the ?-14 had been developed as a lightweight aircra?t, at nearly 44,000 pounds (empty) the ?-14 was actually the largest and heaviest U.S. ?ighter to ?ly ?rom an aircra?t carrier. One o? the reasons the plane was so large and heavy was to ?it its huge radar system. The ?-14 was designed to engage enemy aircra?t in all weather conditions as well as at night and could track up to 24 targets simultaneously.
The plane ?eatured an advanced ωεɑρσռs system that includes a power?ul Hughes AWG-9 radar, which used in conjunction with the Phoenix AIM-54A missiles, can pick out and destroy a chosen target ?rom a ?ormation at a distance o? over 100 miles. Additional armaments include a variety o? other intercept missiles, rockets, bombs, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm Gatling-style rotary cannon. It could also strike targets up to 115 miles away, and in one test, a pilot ?ired all six o? the aircra?t’s missiles within a span o? 38 seconds. ?our o? them scored a per?ect bullseye.
The Tomcat Drew Blood
The Tomcat drew its ?irst blood in August 1981 during the “Gul? o? Sidra incident,” in which two ?-14s were attacked by a pair o? Libyan Su-22 ?itters. Both ?itters were shot down, but the events would be replayed nearly eight years later when in January 1989 another pair o? ?-14s shot down two Libyan MiG-23 “?loggers” again over the Gul? o? Sidra. The United States Navy continued to rely on the ?-14 throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, where it was utilized in strike escort and reconnaissance roles in Operation Desert Storm as well in Operation Deliberate ?orce and Operation Allied ?orce in the con?licts in the ?ormer Yugoslavia. The ?-14’s ?inal combat mission took place in ?ebruary 2006 when two Tomcats were used in a bombing mission in Iraq.
A Pop Media Star
The ?-14 Tomcat was almost as much o? a star in the 1986 ?ilm Top Gun as Tom Cruise, but a decade earlier Grumman had published cartoons that depicted a pilot – named Tom Cat o? course – as a girl-obsessed playboy, while his Radar In?ormation O??icer (RIO), was the serious one who did everything but the ?lying. That likely led to the Maverick/Goose dynamic seen in the ?ilm.
Service With Iran
While the ?-14 was retired ?rom service with the Navy, and supplanted by the Boeing ?/A-18E/? Super Hornet, the Tomcat remains in use with the Islamic Republic o? Iran Air ?orce. In ?act, an Iranian pilot, Jalil Zandi, has been credited with shooting down eleven Iraqi planes during the Iran-Iraq ωɑɾ, making him the true “top gun” with the ?-14. Only a hand?ul o? the planes, which were purchased by the Imperial Iranian Air ?orce in the 1970s, remain in operation but according to reports these aircra?t have ?lown escort missions in Syria proving that even a?ter nearly 50 years the Tomcat still has sharp claws.
?ew Airworthy Tomcats in America
While the Islamic Republic will likely try to keep the Tomcats ?lying, in America the aircra?t has been all but declawed. When the ?-14 was retired, most o? the aircra?t and spare parts were destroyed to ensure they couldn’t ?ind their way to Iran. However, a couple dozen remain in various museums around United States.