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The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft.The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B project.
The F-14 primarily conducted air-to-air and reconnaissance missions with the U.S. Navy until the 1990s, when it was also employed as a long-range strike fighter. [3] It saw considerable action in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf and was used as a strike platform in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq until its final deployment with the United States in 2006.
The TARPS mission first exposed the Tomcat to the AAA and SAM threat on a routine basis and spurred upgrades not only to the cameras, but to the aircraft itself. The existing Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) gear, the ALR-45/50, was vintage Vietnam era and could not keep up with the latest threats of the SA-5 and SA-6 missiles, both present in ...
Whereas the premier third-generation jet fighters (e.g., the F-4 and MiG-23) were designed as interceptors with only a secondary emphasis on maneuverability, 4th generation aircraft try to reach an equilibrium, with most designs, such as the F-14 and the F-15, being able to execute BVR interceptions while remaining highly maneuverable in case the platform and the pilot find themselves in a ...
An F-14A of Fighter Squadron VF-74 catches the wire aboard Saratoga during the ship's 1985–86 Mediterranean cruise. Saratoga underway in the Mediterranean in 1985. Three F-14 Tomcats are lined up on the catapults, ready to launch. The Saratoga departed the Mayport Basin yet again for her 17th Mediterranean deployment on 2 April 1984.
VF-2, known as the "Bounty Hunters," was established on 14 October 1972 flying the F-14A Tomcat. VF-2 completed aircrew training and received its first Tomcats in July 1973, attaining full strength of 12 F-14As in the spring of 1974. VF-2's initial deployment was in 1974 with her sister squadron VF-1 aboard USS Enterprise.
ACEVAL looked at the effectiveness of the tactics utilized by high-performance U. S. aircraft against simpler, threat-type aircraft equipped with all-aspect missiles. The conclusion was that a cheaper fighter such as an F-5 could engage the more expensive jets like F-14 or F-15 that carried big radar and SARH missiles such as the AIM-7 Sparrow.
Until the retirement of the F-14 Tomcat, the unit also had 4 F-14As, 3 F-14Bs and 4 F-14Ds at NAS Point Mugu. Although the Point Mugu detachment has ceased operations, a new VX-9 detachment has since been established at Edwards AFB, California for the F-35C Lightning II. Since all F-35 Operational Test squadrons were based out of Edwards AFB ...