F-14 Tomcat: An Endangered Species

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program after the collapse of the F-111B project.
The U.S. Navy decided to fill the role of fighter attack aircraft with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the F-14 Tomcat was finally retired on September 22, 2006. The Super Tomcat 21 instead remains one of the more fascinating examples of what could have been.
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Thanks

[@basshunter1705]

I'll still take the A-10 Thunderbolt before the F14. We keeping the Warthog...... 👊. 🙂

[@christinesommerfeld9815]

Two different missions. Also the A10 isnt rated for carrier landings. But the A10 is incredible also!

[@sigmamale7241]

TOMCAT hands down!

[@jrhunter007]

1) You compare apples with oranges. 2) What do you with the A-10 you "still take"?

[@rialdaksda9743]

A10 doesnt even serve the same purpose as the f14 dude

[@thecommentator3732]

Its not the same purpose

[@billy1673]

My mother worked at Grumman for 28 years as a project engineer. She was fiercely proud to have worked on the TOMCAT program as one of her many roles at Grumman. I STILL have all the shirts and toys from this awesome plane!

[@tjjavier]

That's awesome man! 😁

[@JonilaVata]

Wow you are so lucky😊

[@cdcervantes]

That's insane...

[@DannyD-vw9vv]

That's sick bro.. start a youtube channel.. we need to see these toys asap

[@garysteed6903]

I salute your ROSIE THE RIVITER. THE WOMEN WHO BUILT AMERICAN FREEDOM IN REALLY BAD TIMES. IT'S WOMEN LIKE YOUR MOMMA THAT KEEPS AMERICA FREE. YOU GO GIRL!!!🇺🇸🦅

[@rossgagne5494]

The F-14 will always be the jet I first fell an love with as a kid.

[@kylerobinson6102]

The 80s was just a wicked time for Air Combat.

[@60asteroid]

Me too!

[@mwbeck]

Both Top Gun and the GI Joe F14 I had

[@5trider29]

I’m divorcing you for a younger model….the Su-57. (Playing ace combat 7) 🤣

[@miamiglia]

I have to agree with you there also the tornado for me 👌

[@SlurryNoises]

Easily one of the most beautiful fighter-jets ever constructed.

[@kmfiz]

Agreed

[@nelsonodhiambo4269]

Then they retire them and come up with very expensive f35😒

[@yal100]

TomCats also had the coolest liveries and tail signs

[@paulg2733]

Totally agree, love that shape!

[@redbeardnj]

The best ever imo

[@infinitlycool]

In my opinion the F-14 Tomcat will always remain as THE aircraft of the US Navy. No modern jet fighter will ever overcome the legacy, the image, or the prestige of the Tomcat. It is an icon that can NEVER be replaced.

[@alex_lll]

Never say never ;)

[@pzzle]

corsair exists

[@FireChicken747]

Yea the the f 14 was in top gun

[@jafarrahmani836]

🥰 F-14 I call it, Gud of War. If you have seen in it in action, you understand what I mean. 🙏 Grumman thanx.

[@kessilrun6754]

I wouldn't say Never. The Corsair F4U was THE US Navy fighter legend. Some argue that it even outperformed the P51.

[@eddiebear34]

Nothing makes you feel old, like the F14 becoming a fossil. I'll always love the sight of this plane

[@BeLikeGumby]

You're not kidding. One of the best looking fighters the USA ever made

[@eddiebear34]

@@BeLikeGumby no mistaking that silhouette

[@TrustNo0ne]

I have been so lucky in my life to see things only very few people get to see. I was an AE (Aviation Electrician) for the F-14s. the 'rag' squadron - VF-101, The Grim Reapers (we trained pilots to fly the F-14).. Thus, we were not assigned to any Carrier Group - but when the pilots needed to practice, called 'Carrier Quals', we would use whichever Carrier was going out, without their Air Wing. Being only several feet from where the aircrafts were launching, it was an AWESOME sight!!! Even better, when they launched at NIGHT - those red rings shooting out the back of those 'turkey feathers' and the rumble in your chest, was a feeling I'll never forget!! *THERE IS NO OTHER FEELING LIKE BEING ON THE FLIGHT DECK - WHEN THESE JETS LAUNCH!!!*

[@eddiebear34]

@@TrustNo0ne that's very cool. I never seen one in person. I was in the navy myself. Royal navy. Radar operator. I wad on destroyers. We got helicopters. But obviously never any jets. I never got the chance to be on a carrier either unfortunately

[@genmarmontenegro4300]

Yup f14 was the most iconic fighter in us navy

[@CouchCommander5000]

She's lost that loving feeling

[@ThinBlueLineGuardian]

lol

[@ThatCarGuy]

now it's gone, gone, gone.

[@CouchCommander5000]

@@ThatCarGuy whoa-oh

[@Gewoondamhert]

@@CouchCommander5000 ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum-dum-dum

[@zachrysearles5847]

😭

[@PureScotch6688]

The coolest demonstration I saw with the Tomcat was in 2000 at the Reno Air Races. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 C Hornet and a F-14 Tomcat took turns racing the Unlimited Corse. Seeing that big bird 100 feet off the ground turning around the pylons and breaking the sound barrier on the straight aways was one of the coolest things ever.

[@nexpro6118]

When in 2006 was the airshow?

[@PureScotch6688]

@@nexpro6118 mid September.

[@nexpro6118]

@@PureScotch6688 the last F-14s were retired before then.....

[@PureScotch6688]

@@nexpro6118 must have been a last goodbye, it's on the Reno Air Race channel. Tomcat came in last btw.

[@patpeterson2671]

Bullshit ........ there are zero videos of what you just posted ........ must have been a fantasy flight in your head ......there would be video of a flight like you described .....there is nothing ........

[@mizer9510]

The F 14 Tomcat is just so cool looking. It was so popular in the 80's. An iconic aircraft.

[@mudboi713]

top gun

[@brianmarsh6592]

Simply the best aircraft of it’s era! My 62 year old memory loved the F-4 and F-14 as great airframes and the ability to last as frontline fighter aircraft for decades.

[@RobertJones-ux6nc]

The F-4 PHANTOMS was proof that if you put powerful enough engines on a brick it will fly. I know because I worked on F-4J while in the Marine Corps and was told this by a Pilot of one.

[@RobertJones-ux6nc]

Know what you mean I am 64 and was in the Marines 1975 to 1984.

[@jaimeduncan6167]

Yep, I understand before they change of the P&W engines by the GEs the aircraft had a lot of problems with stalls and required a lot of load to operate. Clearly I never flow it and I am going by what the military aviation magazines (remember those je je ) were talking about. In your experience ( you fly the aircraft or did I miss read it) was it a real problem?

[@PatriotPlus179]

@@jaimeduncan6167 the T30 engines, original engines, were junk. They produced plenty of thrust, when they produced thrust. Iran is still flying F-14's with T30 engines, lol.

[@trncel]

This is the thing with American fighter jets, they are so ahead of their time, and it takes time for them to mature, many revisions to be perfected. With the C and D model you know you have reached the point where all the bugs are mostly worked out, and with the E and F models the plane will be perfected, usually in the span of 30 years. The F-14 only got to model D, never was allowed by the Navy to reach that perfected point, which could have been an incredible plane no doubt.

[@rickychu0122]

The most elegant carrier-based Naval airfighter.

[@javiertorres9114]

Amen

[@Papershields001]

Well considering that the Tomcat is now for the most part an airplane of the past, I think the title of “most elegant carrier fighter” more properly goes to the Mitsubishi Zero.

[@tolson57]

When I look at the Tomcat, I see brute force, power. When I look at the Crusader, I see elegance.

[@Papershields001]

@@tolson57 I can see a case for that. Also as much as it pains me to say it, the Su-33 sea flanker is a good looking airplane. It may just be seeing the blue angels in Annapolis as a kid but 1st gen hornets always look good when they’re clean.

[@Liverpool2102MHB]

Now even the Russians have got to agree with that.

[@shaanchaudhry5719]

How you ever seen a more beautiful airframe on a fight jet?? Nearly 50 years later it still looks modern/futuristic looking. Talk about being ahead of its time. GOAT.

[@uni4rm]

Yes. The F-15. Since the Navy retired the embarrassingly overpriced Phoenix missile program even before the F-14 was retired, it can do everything the F-14 could do and do it without swing wings. They had to significantly modify the F-14 just so it could reliably shoot at ground targets, something both series of F18's could do right out the gate.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@uni4rm "something both series of F18's could do right out the gate."(sic) At the get go Legacy Hornets required an A-6E to designate the target to employ PGMs.

[@Xanderfied]

The F22 looks better.

[@richardike2342]

That was back when Jetfighters looked beautiful & fantastic. If the F-14 sheet metals were replaced with composites, that would have shed about a third of the plane's weight. This means supercruise ability (sustained supersonic speed without afterburner), as well as much longer range.

[@hoosier3060]

Probably less maintenance. My buddy told me they were a pain to maintain compared to 18s

[@richardike2342]

@@hoosier3060 l heard that too.

[@trevorpollo]

IMO, the F14 is the coolest and sexiest fighter jet ever made. I don't know if Top Gun is fully responsible for that, but even 50 years later, the Tomcat still gives hard-ons.

[@parsaprismtips9935]

ive never seen top gun and never knw what it was since few months ago. but f14 and f4 are my favorite

[@whyjnot420]

Just some thoughts: Twin tails, being massive but still looking sleek, 2 person tandem cockpit fits with overall size & layout of the plane, twin engines with wide separation, lack of rotating pylons (such as the F-111 has), movement from almost a straight wing into a full delta in seconds, partial delta, no canards. Speaking about all of that in pure aesthetic terms, though all of the points (with the exception of the very last) also make it good for practical reasons as well. (I don't like canards on something of this size... they look good on a Gripen, but not something like this and yes, I know they are really really useful with the canard/delta setup like the eurodeltas) And there are plenty of other reasons too.... but those come to mind. Also, as cool as Top Gun is, nothing beats F-14's taking out a pair of A6Ms in The Final Countdown. At least as far as Tomcats go..... there is the episode of the Zipang, a show with a similar premise to The Final Countdown, titled 1 vs. 40 has a 10k ton JMSDF guided missile destroyer (based on the Kongo class destroyers, which themselves are in the lineage of the Arleigh Burke class) going up against a strike package of Dauntless' and Avengers as well as a couple of Wildcats flying observation. And well, you can guess the outcome of that. It is pretty awesome. (its a show from 2004-05, 26 episodes, great attention to detail that is often lacking in military fiction, especially when they have that fantasy/sci-fi aspect that the show has of going back to ww2.... episode 21 if anyone wants to just watch that part)

[@scp049leplaguedocter3]

@@whyjnot420 does it have a bathroom

[@whyjnot420]

@@scp049leplaguedocter3 Given that the only people who have desperate use for such a facility when in relative proximity to a F-14 in the air, are the people being stomped. Thus the engineers during development decided against this particular system in favor of more swagger.

[@karlanthonymargate7362]

@@whyjnot420 the swept wing

[@grummanf14tomcat40]

One of the Best US navy aircraft ever and the best looking aircraft overall

[@ARMY14jm]

True!!

[@2005OEFArmy]

I agree. I love Flankers, but the F-14 will always be the best looking fighter plane(I am Russian BTW).

[@andhkasur]

@@2005OEFArmy isn't Su 35 best?

[@theprinceoftides6836]

@@2005OEFArmy Well, the Flanker and to some degree the MiG29 design was influenced by the F14, so I like to think both Flanker and Fulcrum R the sons of the Tomcat. All R magnificent looking fighters.

[@slickster7035]

What a Magnificent Beast! As A Proud Navy Veteran '88-'93 and crew member of The USS TEXAS CGN-39 now Decommissioned. I am so happy I got to witness firsthand seeing this Lethal Weapon in action. While in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and On our way back to Alameda Naval Air Station after the war The Mighty Air Craft Carrier USS NIMITZ CVN-68 the cornerstone of our battle group put on a full display of it's awesome and deadly armament. Seeing the countless flight operations day and night while only a yards behind or directly besideThe Nimintz our crew got a chance to see The Magnificent Beast The F-14 Tomcat do touch and go while hitting the afterburners and the sweeping wings is a memory forever etched in my head and something I will cherished for the rest of my life.......Fair Winds and Following Seas to The Real Lethal Weapon The F-14 TOMCAT⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️ You can see some of the actual footage from our cruise here on KZbin. Just type NIMITZ AIRCRAFT CARRIER CVN-68 WESTPAC 10 Desert Sweep 1991

[@SirJames-rl1mu]

Thanks for your service

[@vettebecker1]

Grew up through the 80’s and still and always will love the tomcat, it’s always been my favorite fighter jet

[@joeclaridy]

Everytime KZbin gives us a new what if F-14 video, I weep. I weep over the short sightedness of the Navy post Cold War. I weep 😭

[@ThinBlueLineGuardian]

The F-14 Tomcat is an amazing fighter aircraft. I wish they were still around in the US military.

[@taylorh.3484]

I’ve heard that the Navy overwhelmingly wants develop and bring back the Tomcat by merging its design with the F-22 Raptor. They call it the F-14 StealthCat. Modernize the airframe with F-22 tech. Look for it. I wanna see it made so bad!

[@omarcj789]

@@taylorh.3484 I've been hearing and reading about that lot surprisingly

[@ThatCarGuy]

They were going to back in the day, it was called the Super Tomcat-21. Cost to much sadly, much better then the F/A-18

[@jellylightningii5959]

@@taylorh.3484 too bad its too expensive and Obama stopped the production of raptors

[@jeremybstudentpilot5315]

@@jellylightningii5959 it was bush and chemey who canned the f14.

[@bruh.5537]

the f-14 is pretty much what pops in our head when someone tells you to imagine a combat aircraft

[@RockyRacoon5]

Yep, even for non-jet people that’s the default combat aircraft look. 🙂

[@alexfortin7209]

Many Grumman aircrafts were almost indestructible, difficult to maintain and almost impossible to update. The Grumman F-14 was one such aircraft and simply disappeared while the F-15 will probably be in service for 25 years. A similar thing happened after WWII, when the P-51 Mustang soldiered on while the P-47 Thunderbolt was soon retired for similar reason: it was to expensive to maintain and operate.

[@keithnoneya]

One of the coolest looking aircraft ever built. I'm not a big fan of the Iranian government, but the combat record and role the F-14 played in their country was staggeringly impressive. That alone says volumes about the aircraft design and abilities of the aircraft, even today. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@amirabbaszarei8499]

Yeah im agree with you Sources said Tomcats has killed 165 iraqis aircraft and only 4 f 14 has got killed Any time Baby..!

[@ALPHAGALACTICOMEGA]

At least some one here acknowledges the tomcat saw it first kill in the saddam imposed war initiated by iraq in September 1980 and the IRIAF tomcats have a far more impressive combat record than that of USN.

[@joeberger3441]

@@ALPHAGALACTICOMEGA well, the USN wasn't engaged in the type of warfare that the Iranians were in. They had way more of a chance for their F14s to shine. Whereas the US has stayed out of near peer conflicts since ww2.

[@cdmorrissy3692]

I was in Top Gun (VF-124) at Miramar in 1974 and I trained Iranians in F-14 ground operations; that was when the Iranians were our friend and ally. I also watched several of them crash...

[@hoosier3060]

Y’all, Iran isn’t as bad as you think it is. They do some questionable stuff but often get demonized by our media because cia

[@starpawsy]

This is THE most beautiful fast jet ever built. Sadly, its time has passed. I consider myself very priveleged to have fondled several of them when the USS Constellation was in Sydney Australia about 15 years ago.

[@cocodojo]

Yay Connie!

[@memovelazquez2278]

Yes!!! Sir

[@Joumae_Saori]

One of the reason's why i love this jet, is due to its badass wings. Everytime i see the F14'S wings coming out ready for takeoff, sends chills down my spine.

[@coolhand_steve3706]

I worked on tomcats and it was well worth the maintenance intensive airframe. Loved that airplane

[@nexpro6118]

It went away because of cost. In 1973 the cost of an F14A was 38 million. In 2022 dollars, that is over 240 million per F14A. Over time in 2022 dollars, the cost went down to, 160 million per, F14B/D. Maintenance cost was also insane and Maintenance time. The swept wing mechanism was stupid expensive to maintain to very timely as well. In 2022 dollars, the Maintenance cost for a F14 was higher than the Maintenance cost for a F22 and F35. So this while complaining about the cost of the, F35 I dumb. The F14 was way more expensive but cost is now only on everybody opinion because of social media and everyone thinking that they are experts on everything because of social media.

[@raylowery9466]

When i was stationed at NAS Miramar San Diego in 1971, the first two squadrons of Tomcats came to the base...........brand spanking new..........we all ran over to them from our squadron (VFP-63) to take a look............fantastic, they were the new era of modern jet fighters........

[@this_is_not_leanne6299]

I’m currently stationed at Miramar too and it’s pretty crazy I’ve been seeing new F-35’s squadrons standing up and how they’re slowly (not really slowly rapidly) getting rid of F-18’s here

[@AA-xo9uw]

VF-1 and VF-2 weren't established until October of 1972. VF-1 received its first F-14A in July of 1973.

[@Wrangzilla]

I was part of the last class to go through the advance radar (AWG9) school in Miramar in 1996, when Miramar was still Top Gun

[@718EngrCo]

It amazes me that the Iran F-14’s still have operating engines.

[@showsjohn]

Iranians have some extremely intelligent and talented scientists, even if their government is a theocratic dictatorship.

[@vivek27789]

@@showsjohn True.. Very True

[@PatriotPlus179]

@@showsjohn they aren't too intelligent because they're still running T-30 engines, lol.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@showsjohn The Iranians have gotten a lot of help from their friends - Sukhoi, MiG, Antonov, Yakovlev, etc. aka the Copyski design bureaus, in the Soviet Union along with many disloyal opportunists in the United States and allied countries in maintaining their Tomcat fleet

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@PatriotPlus179 TF30

[@jonathansnyder8686]

Got to watch the last operational launch of the F-14 from CVN-71 during OIF. The roar of the Tomcat was unmistakable on the flight deck.

[@someboiwhogivesadamn]

The platform had it all, it was fast, agile, Versatile, and cost effective, all it needed was a bit of a newer stealth oriented design, 3D thrust vectoring and a new single seat design and it could very well have been the single best naval fight ever.

[@PatriotPlus179]

The F-14 was never cost effective. It had trouble from the very beginning. The T-30 engines were junk. I think the F-14 Tomcat took thirty hours of maintenance for every one hour of flight time. It was definitely not cost effective, lol. It was the fastest , carried a lot of ordinance and had the most advanced sensors of it's time, and I think it had a 500 mile strike radius.

[@MichaelOsseweyeijer]

cost effective? lol

[@stevesmith2171]

Look up Ward Carrol's channel and find the video on the super tomcat 21. It was going to stay a 2 seater but with the newer technology the RIO in the backseat would also be able to direct drone swarms against ground,sea,and airborne targets. Imagine a squadron of those wrecking you and then drone swarms coming in from behind to finish the job.

[@11jerans]

In other words it needed to be completely redesigned into the F-35

[@PatriotPlus179]

@@stevesmith2171 The Super Tomcat 21 should have happened. Talk about a multi-role aircraft!

[@artonline01]

The f-14 was an interceptor by design. If you think of it as a foxbat/foxhound equivalent would be more fair except 10 years earlier and was a naval fighter as well. It was an exceptional machine.

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

No... just no... the F-14 is an air superiority fighter. It happens that the variable wing geometry allows for a fast dash, but that same variable wing geometry allows it to grovel at slow speeds with the best aircraft in the arena. The F-14 matches the turn rates (instant and sustained) of the F-16C and out turns every other teen series fighter by a huge margin while loaded heavier. The Fleet Air Defense role was very similar to the interceptor role of land based F-15's but the aircraft itself was far more capable than being just an interceptor. She's VERY agile for her size.

[@artonline01]

@@Whiskey11Gaming That's what I thought until recently. What you are saying is more true of the F14 B that got better engines for quick acceleration. The original engines were akin to the engines of the SR71 in that they had a higher top end speed but took a long time to spool up and also performed better at high alt. Turned out that those engines were meant to intercept nuclear bombers with its Phoenix missile. Once they replaced those engines at the end of the cold war it was indeed on par with the F15.

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

@@artonline01 that's nearly the opposite of what you want in an interceptor operating from a carrier... the TF30 actual produced more thrust down low than the F110 does and yes, in the F14, more at greater than Mach 1. The reasoning isn't what you expect though. The intake ramp design was not changed between any of the variants and were optimized for the TF30 of the A. At high Mach the air flow through the F110 equipped F14 would become turbulent enough to reduce power. The TF30 continued to build power. Further, the F14A could not carry Phoenix missiles to its top speed... it had to effectively be clean while the F14B and D could easily carry TWO Phoenix missiles to that speed. The best both could hope for with four or six was the low Mach 1 to Mach 1.3 area. The real advantage to the F110 engines is the tolerance of disrupted air at high angles of attack and a wider thrust curve. While it wasn't as fast down low as the A, the B generally produced more thrust at altitude with excepting being in the high Mach numbers. The F110 was also less prone to stalling during combat maneuvering and was more tolerant of throttle changes at high angle of attack. It was also every bit as efficient as the TF30 in cruise, if not more.

[@30AndHatingIt]

Bingo. I’m developing a future video on the F-14 that is going to lead with that argument. You seem very informed on the subject!

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Actually, the correct term is fleet defense fighter.

[@dominiccoscarelli305]

Just think how insanely powerful the f-14 tomcat would be if it were modernized.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Iran still fly them in their Air Force.

[@Yvaelle]

The f14 was an air superiority dogfighting specialist. Dogfighting isn't really a thing anymore, when F35's are stealth and launch missiles from far beyond visual range (ATA well over 160km) - that's how ATA works now. The F35B and C don't even have guns on them, just even more missiles. Bringing a GAU to a missile fight is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

[@rohesilmnelohe]

@@Yvaelle for the price of a F35, you could have gotten at least two of these with upgraded radar and upgraded AIM54ECCM missiles. A single F 14 has double the weapons payload capability with higher speed and altitude limits compared to F35 (which increases the effective range of missiles). Essentially, you could have a pair of fighters capable of taking out an entire squadron from BVR while being immune to return fire for the price of one rather slow singleseater with limited weapons payload. Ideally. All US navy carriers should have kept one flight or at least a pair of these in upgraded form as long range, high speed interceptors and area denial weapons due to their astonishingly good operational range and weapons capability.

[@michaelkenwell9146]

@@Yvaelle Still can't deny the F-21 proposal would've buried the Super Hornet in overall performance, if the USN had gone that route the F-35s would've been supplementing the force of carrier based F-21s today instead of the inferior Super Hornet which was chosen because of lower maintenance costs and Dick Cheney's personal bias against Grumman.

[@jedidiahramiel6296]

I regret that the F - 14 tomcat was retired. This fighter jet is a truly a legend. The aviation industry could have updated and come out with modern versions suitable to the 21 st century. Americans don't know to maintain their tradition in this field and yet maintain modernity. They just keep evolving for the sake of evolving.

[@bradleyarmstrong130]

I agree. Only reason I hated that platform when I was with the Jolly Rogers was because of Commander Landess call sign DJ cared more about maintaining the fighters than the welfare of his sailors. He drove one squadron member so hard he committed suicide after we returned from the the Kennedy cruise in 04

[@AA-xo9uw]

Politics- namely Dick Cheney, the SecDef with the fecal touch - killed the Tomcat. Tomcat 21 would have been a much superior platform than the disappointing Super Bug.

[@nexpro6118]

It went away because of cost. In 1973 the cost of an F14A was 38 million. In 2022 dollars, that is over 240 million per F14A. Over time in 2022 dollars, the cost went down to, 160 million per, F14B/D. Maintenance cost was also insane and Maintenance time. The swept wing mechanism was stupid expensive to maintain to very timely as well. In 2022 dollars, the Maintenance cost for a F14 was higher than the Maintenance cost for a F22 and F35. So this while complaining about the cost of the, F35 I dumb. The F14 was way more expensive but cost is now only on everybody opinion because of social media and everyone thinking that they are experts on everything because of social media.

[@nickthetoycollector3360]

My absolute favorite fighter. I also always think of Macross and Robotech whenever I see a Tomcat.

[@CuriousChronicles82275]

Same here Macross and f14s

[@rogue_newtype4364]

It’s obvious Japanese animators took huge inspiration from the F-14 this is my favorite fighter jet as well

[@canatoot]

Got hyped when F-14s made an appearance in Macross Zero

[@CorentinHarbelot]

Yes!

[@timestreamer9491]

One of the most beautiful and fearsome aircrafts ever made. I love how it looks, how it performs as a caring but wild wife, almost always temperamental (Real and DCS pilots, you know what I'm talking about. This thing is a grumpy beast). While nowadays not the most maneuverable by a long shot, despite being no slouch, it still remains one of the fastest. It was the end of the analog era and the beginning of the digital. It was the true father of competent BVR fighting with the Phoenix, something that was widely adopted and today carries on with missiles like the AIM-120. And it packed a nice bag of surprises for those who challenged him. It can go vertical like a mad dog and win rate fights against most of the aircrafts out there. If you discard super maneuverability stuff, and better avionics, this plane is one of the best you can get. Even after all these years. And I find it awesome. The two seat factor was not the only reason why it was left behind. It chugged fuel, had heavy maintenance costs and occupied much space in carriers, not to mention it was prepared to carry a specific missile designed for it, not the AIM-120 that you can mount on the rest of the F family of aircraft. But about the two seat argument: on one side you have better avionics controlling everything and less weight, less training required, less human force required. On the other you have a second pair of human eyes with you up there assessing the situation and sometimes dividing the workload, not multiplying it. And that, is hard to beat.

[@LaikaTheG]

The f14 is certainly a amazing fighter! I’ve figured out how to beat both the f16 and f18 in a dogfight. It’s maneuverability sits somewhere in between the two. It can pull high AoA like the hornet but not as well but can rate fight reasonably well not to mention its fast. Use your AoA and slow speed abilities to beat the f16 and use the speed and rate fighting against the f18 (the f18 locks up at higher speeds and a good pilot can capitalize on this). Although I just wanted to let you know the f14D was able to carry 120s and the awg9 was replaced with apg71. Two seats isn’t the problem. Many times you can get the Rio to do the stuff the pilot can’t be bothered. For example, the tacan was two way, the tpod was used by the rio, the rio has his own radio, he controlled the autopilot landing (yes that was a thing for case 1 low vis carrier landings), the radar was used all by the rio for 99% of the time outside of PAL modes. Plus having a second person means more SA. The f14 did not chug gas either. If you fly it in DCS you will realize that even at low altitudes it seems to use less gas than other fighters, say the f16, which means that wasn’t the problem. Most of the issues with maintenance would’ve been solved since most of these problems arose from the old design of most of the internal stuff. I think the real problem was not the plane itself but the thinking of the time. The Navy knew that the f14 was a remarkable plane and it most cases the f1D Quickstrike and super tomcat 21 exceeded the expectations set for the new competition where the Super Hornet often fell short. The f14D Quickstrike los solved many problems that older models had like lack of harms, old radars, lower AoA (when compared to the hornet the legacy hornet can hold 90 degrees of AoA while the f14 can get to 90 but can only hold about 70 AoA which was fixed with small adjustments to the wing and taking some parts off to make it just a bit better). It carried more, was closer to the design specifications as far as speed, payload, etc. it also planned to bring it into the new age with comparable avionics to the f18 (the f14D already had fly by wire and modern mfds but lacked the lightening pod). Hell it even had the first American made Irst which allowed it (to no joke) track, lock, and kill a f22 with a simulated Phoenix. It was also proven that while the f14 was huge in most cases the wing span of a folded f18 and a over locked (meaning the wings are swept nearly parallel with the rest of the airframe) was about the same. Also the f14’s gear was farther forward therefore about half the length would hang over the side of the boat. The real reason it was rejected in the competition was purely that it was old and the Navy realized that if they accepted it sooner or later the f14 would need to be retired. They decided that since the super hornet was good enough they would take it. Oh btw the f18 was actually more expensive in the long run since you would be making whole new airframes rather than taking f14 A, B, and D models and putting new stuff in and taking old stuff out. I didn’t relive you made the whole SA argument already but honestly I don’t remember which part of my rant I talked about that so oops. But yea weight was that big of a difference (especially since super hornets are made with two seats for air to ground roles and ofc the growler). So either way that was the least of the f14s problems

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@LaikaTheG the F-14D was never qualified for AMRAAMs. The great Dale Snodgrass (RIP, he was responsible for the development of the F-14D in his later career) specifically stated that the USN chose to spend the limited budget on getting the TARPS on the Tomcat instead of the AMRAAM (because the Tomcat already had the AIM-54 for BVR). There is a documentary out there on Vimeo called "Tomcat Tales". I highly recommend watching that if you're a fan ;)

[@LaikaTheG]

@@svenschwingel8632 f14ds were never cleared but there’s picture of f14s with amramms so if they wanted it wouldn’t be very hard

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@LaikaTheG the D had the necessary electronics to handle the AMRAAM. But the budget didn't have enough juice for it.

[@LaikaTheG]

@@svenschwingel8632 Yea. Like I said there’s pictures of f14As with amramm. In a way I agree with that original guy. As op as a mixed loadout with Amramms, phoenixes, and sparrows would be, I have heard pilots say that the Phoenix wasn’t all that bad in the realm of tracking targets. The main set back was the AWG-9 and how old and unreliable it became. For the 70s and 80s it was amazing but then when more modern radars emerged pilots realized how bad it was when trying to track multiple targets in tws. It would give false positives and often lose track while a Phoenix was being guided to 10 miles (where it would go pitbull its radar would take over). Cool to think about though!

[@troyc4250]

I loved this jet fighter. An all time favorite. I had one as a toy and took great care of it.

[@cdmorrissy3692]

I was in Top Gun (VF-124) at Miramar in 1974, working as a Plane Captain for several months, and then I was transferred to VF-1, which was aboard The Enterprise in Vietnam I worked on the Flight Deck, as a Plane Captain during "Operation Frequent Wind", during the evacuation of Saigon. Man, we dropped many tons of ordnance, to keep The NVA away from Saigon while we got everybody out. The F-14 was the first really "advanced" aircraft, with new weapons, avionics and capabilities; we were quite proud of it.

[@Frostbite_001]

The f14 will always be remembered as one of the best planes in history no plane can touch its reputation

[@jimothy1967]

Easily the most beautiful fighter ever built. That head on view is just so awesome.

[@stewsretroreviews]

Lovely looking jet the Tomcat, looks similar the Uks Tornado with the swing wings and at the time of its retirement, could carry virtually any weapons around with ease. Both brilliant aircraft

[@flyboy765753]

I Was on vacation as a kid summer of 2002 or 03 driving around California in an RV. We stopped on the side of the road for lunch at the bottom of a valley next to a beautiful stream and actually stayed all day and overnight because it was such a cool spot. Me and my older bro (I was 13 or 14, him 16 or 17) were just walking up the stream looking for fossils and cool rocks when as I'm looking down into a steady pool of water I hear a rumble and I swear I could have seen the water start to vibrate like that cup of water in Jurassic Park, so I whip around to see two F-14 tomcats in full afterburner Diving into our valley from a smaller side valley, hard left banking as they're diving in. They leveled off and turned into a hard right bank as they were going directly overhead at about 150ft and I could see the Jolly Rodger painted on the tail as they pulled out of sight. Whole thing lasted 4-5 seconds tops. I didn't see it but my brother swears he saw one of the back seat guys waving at us. Its still one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me. If i had a Go-pro head mount back then and was recording, It would be one of those clips they use in the commercials 100%

[@Mysucculentchinesemeal]

This will always be my favorite combat aircraft. It’s a beautiful plane with amazing functionality and will always have a spot in my heart because of Top Gun.

[@simonriley8908]

Something about the way it glides through the air with the sweep wings is just majestic.

[@happysalesguy]

The Navy was monumentally short-sighted to decline to develop the Super Tomcat and to abandon the Phoenix missile. They will be sorely missed in the upcoming conflicts with China.

[@AA-xo9uw]

"The Navy was monumentally short-sighted to decline to develop the Super Tomcat" Cheney made that decision and NAVAIR didn't put up much of a fight. "and to abandon the Phoenix missile." For what it cost the Phoenix was way too expensive and in operational use with the Navy achieved zero operational kills. Restrictive ROEs also rendered it obsolete.

[@jeremyhess7977]

@@AA-xo9uw Yup. You nailed it. Cheney had the machinery destroyed and that cut the nuts off of developing the ST-21 since it would have been too costly to re-develop all of the necessary tooling and machinery. Plus, Cheney had a lot of stock in Lockheed-Martin so he wanted to do a little insider trading to boost his stock values. Had that not happened, then F-14 airframes would have gone in for depot level maintenance to be completely re-vamped with all kinds of cool 21st century upgrades (Ex: F110-GE-429 engines and fully digital avionics systems). The result would have been a faster, "smarter", and slightly more aircraft with a lot of the high-hour maintenance bugs worked out - bringing maintenance times and costs waaay down. (Ex: no more leaky surface control hydraulics - replaced by motor controlled fly by wire systems. Brakes and landing gear struts would have still been hydraulic systems, but that's it.) As for the AIM-54 Phoenix, it was a VERY expensive missile. I fixed a couple AIM-54's that had broken wires in the "brains" section, but I never saw one loaded or fired during my time in VF-143, just training missiles. I never saw an AIM-7 Sea Sparrow either.... because they sucked. LoL As for live payload, we usually loaded Mk-83's, Mk-84's, and AIM-9X Sidewinders. But had the ST-21 become a reality, to replace the Phoenix, for a full missile load out configuration, it would have carried a six-pack of AIM-120's under her belly plus a pair of AIM-9's and another pair of AIM-120's under her armpits on stations 1A/1B and 8A/8B, respectively. (Stations 2 and 7 are reserved for drop tanks). So a flight of 4 ST-21's would have the potential to track and destroy up to 32 targets at medium range and still have sidewinders and their M61's for short range combat to pick off the stragglers that were too stupid to run away.

[@wolfgangschumann8710]

In my civilian opinion, the F-14 Tomcat is by far the most iconic aircraft in the world. A timeless beauty. Thnx for the great pictures.

[@wolfgangschumann8710]

Fun Fact: also the toy industry had used this design concept. See the models from the cooperation of Harmony Gold and Revell: ROBOTECH - loved this as a teenager 😂

[@yusufjermani7736]

F14 TOMCAT jet tempur terbaik yang pernah di ciptakan di bumi ini...future design, fighter long range, swing wing, speed, phoenix missile deadly and legend

[@rodolfohernandez3303]

Not even the F18 Hornet has been able to carry the duties of the F14 Tomcat, now we wonder why is still been missed. That's why the F14 Tomcat will forever will be the best fighter ever designed.

[@Paul-oi2wz]

The Hornet didn't replace the Tomcat but the idea was to initially supplement it. It was later when they developed the super Hornet when it actually replaced it.

[@codyerickson3550]

Every Hornet pilot I’ve ever talked to who’s also flown the Tomcat prefers the Tomcat to the Hornet. It’s an inferior aircraft in almost every aspect. It’s just too bad some dickhead in Washington didn’t think we needed them anymore, and now 15+ years later the Navy is finally starting to regret that decision.

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

@@codyerickson3550 And every F-35 pilot says they would rather be in a lightning II than any other aircraft. Including those who have flown F-22's. We didn't need an air superiority fighter for the war on terror. We need the Hornets strike capabilities. And now we have the F-35, which is better than the F-14 in every way. It has better Missiles, radar, the ability to attack ground targets and ships, data link with satalites warships and other fighter making it's meer presence literally improve the preformance of other fighters. We haven't needed the F-14 since 2003, and now we have a true replacement.

[@michaelkenwell9146]

@@anguswaterhouse9255 except if the USN had developed the F-21 Super Tomcat it would've outperformed the Super Hornet in every conceivable metric. Sadly small-minded Dick Cheney's bias against Grumman had him justifying the F-18 over the F-14 because it was simply cheaper to operate, that was the crux of his argument in favour of phasing out the F-14, Cheney is petty and cheap.

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

@@michaelkenwell9146 The Super Tomcat wasn't the F-21, first of all. And there is reason enough to not like Gruman, they fucked the B-2 program. The cost balloned to 2.5 BILLION a plane. To explain why we didn't need the ST-21 is simple. We did need a better air superiority fighter for the war on terror. We needed a plane with more Pylon space. And given that is one undeniable advantage of the F/A-18 I don't think you can argue with it. And now, when the need for a dominance fighter is back, we have the F-35 which is better than the F-14 at killing enemy planes. The F-14 would be slaughtered by Su-57 and J-20. The F-35 would not.

[@itsfrancoisb]

Im happy the f14 is still in service somewhere… my favourite aircraft in the world

[@yaboygerry]

I remember tagging along my dad when he was a AM working on tomcats, late 90s early 2000s. He would always put me in the seat of them in the hangers while he did after work chores. (idk I was just a child at the time) (but there was always an enlisted person around me supervising) or even the trainers. I would love sitting in them. I never really understood much as a kid, but looking back at it as an adult and faintly remembering... He was really passionate about the Tomcats and loved them alot. He always praised how amazing of a machine they were back in their time. But like everything he said, they were old, falling apart, and hard to maintain. I think when they went a little bit of him went as well. He will retire out the Navy in 3 years wrapping up 40 years in service.

[@ub1953]

Live adjacent to MIRAMAR in San Diego and lucky enough to witness endless "touch and goes" in the 80's of F-14's. Magnificent aircraft to watch with those swept wings. Miss it !

[@CGFIELDS]

Be still my fluttering heart strings ❤️😍🥰

[@Leifthrasir]

The F-14 was the navy's version of the F-15. If it was still around we would see it being upgraded in much the same way the F-15 was upgraded to the F-15EX. Getting rid of the F-14 and replace it with the F-18 was like replacing the F-15 with the F-16.

[@raylowery9466]

Roger that, good comparison............

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

Which is effectively exactly what the USAF did... Look at the numbers roughly 450 F15C's and F-15E's still in US service (combined). There are 1245 F16's in active USAF service with another 490 with the Air National Guard...

[@OAwesomeO]

i love the tom cat too but dude be fair, it was just way too damn big for carrier based operations. It was freakin huge lol

[@nexpro6118]

It went away because of cost. In 1973 the cost of an F14A was 38 million. In 2022 dollars, that is over 240 million per F14A. Over time in 2022 dollars, the cost went down to, 160 million per, F14B/D. Maintenance cost was also insane and Maintenance time. The swept wing mechanism was stupid expensive to maintain to very timely as well. In 2022 dollars, the Maintenance cost for a F14 was higher than the Maintenance cost for a F22 and F35. So this while complaining about the cost of the, F35 I dumb. The F14 was way more expensive but cost is now only on everybody opinion because of social media and everyone thinking that they are experts on everything because of social media.

[@mcmmx]

If Iran had also purchased the F-15 back in the 70s when the Shah was in power, I doubt the F-15 would be still in production

[@MrGruffteddybear]

I was in the Navy in the mid to late 80’s. The F-14 was awesome. That and the A-6 Intruders were my favs.

[@TheUnseenWaffle]

My fiance knows how much I loves this aircraft and gets me souvenirs of the Tomcat. I wish I could find one still flying.

[@jimworthington449]

Seeing this magnificent plane go supersonic is something I will never forget. Damn beautiful sight.

[@williamscoggin1509]

The tomcat was retired because it was extremely expensive to keep in the air as far as maintenance cost. And technology had started to pass it by with stealth coming into play.

[@luckylg1046]

Also the Navy didn't help it in the long run. Upgrades were not consistent and were expensive across the F-14 fleet. Being that there were few in numbers (few hundred vs several thousand fir F-15 and F-16) and used only by the US Navy (not counting Iran - we wouldn't realistically upgrade their birds.) the costs were high. Unlike the F-15 and F-16 which is flown by more countries, and the larger numbers of them produced helped lower costs per unit and future upgrades.

[@mohsene.s7420]

No it was because of Iran has fleet of it(still working)and after revolution in iran and the war US doesn't want to Iran smuggle new parts for their fleet. So sad One of reasons Iraq doesn't win the war was f14 and other reason was f4 😁

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

@@mohsene.s7420 Okay but the revolution was in 79 and it was retired in 04 it can't have been purely iran because we kept it for half a century after they became our enemies

[@jg3000]

It could of been upgraded. Technology was not passing it by when it was retired. Upgrades were deemed too costly. F-18C was suffiecent enough. But low range on F-18C was a problem. F-18EF made for an more advanced F-18C with better range. But Tomcat's better range was missed by the navy. As well as the long range missiles. Simply put they were retired because there was no longer a Soviet threat.

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

@@jg3000 The super hornet actually has worse combat range than the legacy hornet in the CAS role and only just matches it in the CAP role... it's a higher drag design and the engine changes didn't alleviate the increase drag. The super hornet added additional weapon stations at the expense of... well... everything. It is a truly awful design.

[@wickedvq491]

that swept wing design will forever go down in history as one of the best designs ever

[@somewhereinagalaxyfarfaraway]

A 6th gen update to this frame would be amazing

[@andresg4439]

I'll always love this plane, the F-14 Tomcat is Amazing.

[@Kapdad]

Thank you for making this amazing video about a amazing plane . My mostest and favorite all time airplane

[@dat8r1]

Bring back the Tomcat please !!! i love it

[@d3vilman69]

For me the Jolly Roger F-14 Tomcat is the most badass and elegant of them all. There is something just special about the F14 design that to me, is like the black BMW of all fighter jets during the 80s. One look at it you know it can get shit done. Kudos to Grumman for creating this legendary fighter. 20 years later people will still remember this beauty. IMO, if Topgun 1986 featured a F15 or F16 it probably wouldn't be as effective compared to the F14. Maybe Tony Scott like numbers divisible by 7.

[@fredMplanenut]

One of my favourite aircraft, awesome to see, awesome in it's capabilities.

[@marleyboy7732]

Still my most favorite fighter jet. Next to the P51 mustang & the old flying fortresses. We do have the very plane used in top gun here in Corpus Christi,TX. It sits on the U.S.S Lexington.

[@garynettles5919]

I lived about 3 miles from the Grumman calverton test facility where they were built I also worked there in 1985 to 90 my dad and uncle worked there from late 60s into the 90s after Northrop took over we were a Grumman family as was a lot of Long Islanders as they employed so many. I grew up with Tomcats screaming over my house wing to wing as a little kid right up till they closed I never got tired of seeing them I got to watch the f-14 test fire it’s gun really awesome my job at Grumman brought me over every inch of the test facility I got to see some amazing and cool things. Miss those days The famous Grumman family picnic :)

[@itsMrNoble]

The F-14 is just the most classically beautiful design. It still looks so drop dead cool.

[@Andre_On_Demand]

It’s not endangered, it’s extinct. To this day not a single platform can perform all the duties the tomcat did in one airframe.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Until the Iranians withdraw their Tomcats it's technically not extinct.

[@aliramezani2333]

@@kutter_ttl6786 they won't anytime soon It's their top aircraft, they have no replacement for it

[@nexpro6118]

Well, apparently Iran did in 2014 in seria

[@avis21X]

Ah yes, the F-14 Tomcat with maintenance costs too high for it to be kept. She's still alive and kicking to this day with our Iranian pals across the block. Long live the F-14 Tomcat. Sexiest fighter jet to ever live.

[@hoosier3060]

Thank you for not calling them an enemy. They get such a bad rap by our Zionist media

[@Ferrislilly]

1970s jets were so ahead of their time. 40+ years later and these aircraft still look as badass as ever. My favorite is the F-16. But the F-14 is a beauty.

[@billcook4768]

A great era for aviation design. In addition to the military jets you have the Concorde, the 747, the Space Shuttle, etc. All designed with slide rules and drafting tables.

[@dixonbidenzmouth4115]

F-15E

[@user-tx4kd3bj6x]

Oh the memories of Sega arcade game, Afterburner. Still one of my favorite fighters, along with the p39 airacobra. Apache and cobra gunship helicopter.

[@winstonbabb8226]

America needs a new Tomcat a supertomcat intercepter and fighter i dont think they are thinking ahead

[@Heartandskullprojects]

Still my favorite plane of all time.

[@kai8853]

my grandfather worked on f4s and f14s on carriers for 20+ years then immediately worked from grumman after retiring from the navy grew up with pictures and models of these in his garage such a beautiful plane, im hoping to follow his steps and fly or work on a carrier when i get out of college

[@BradleySkaggsNYC]

Still my favorite. The sweep wing, its profile and proportions are perfect.

[@dominickruiz1240]

I will never forget the first time seeing an F14. There were three in formation, wings swept back and they did their carrier break over the airport, it was awesome

[@johnwriterpoet1783]

Yes, the coolest looking plane ever.

[@jacobroden9718]

The f-14 tomcat that engaged in combat over gulf of sidra in 1981 resides in a midland tx museum. The real top gun

[@kingjames1308]

Still one of the sexiest fighters ever made. Way better looking that the plane that replaced it. Really miss those Phoenix missiles too

[@PatriotPlus179]

During Operation Desert Shield, F-14's were assigned to protect the F-18's carrying out strike missions in Iraq. They never saw any dogfighting but they would have been extremely successful if they had.

[@AA-xo9uw]

"During Operation Desert Shield"(sic) Desert Storm "They never saw any dogfighting" That was due to 1) the IFF shortcomings of the Tomcat and 2) the air force was responsible for generating ATOs. NAVAIR dropped the ball on numerous occasions in keeping pace with air force technical upgrades to their tactical airframes.

[@jeremyhess7977]

@@AA-xo9uw Yeah, but we still made them fly... despite the lack of technical upgrades and the "almost usually always" spotty parts support. We never missed a sortie and we didn't have any major issues with our IFF. The bad guys would steer clear if they pinged us and the signal came back as it being a Tomcat.

[@redastrachan8978]

Stunning airframe. *Woefully* underpowered engines

[@DanielBrown-sn9op]

TF 30s? or GE 110s?

[@cristian333GTX]

Thanks to the engineers how designs and develop this beautiful jet fighter, and pilots and personal how flight and give maintenance to this master piece amazing video buddy 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@christhompson6010]

the sound of those things is unmistakable. Back in the 80,s i was driving on rout 80 and far off in the distance you could see a small dot metallic object cruising and i could feel the ground vibrate under my car as i was driving. crazy stuff

[@RobertJones-ux6nc]

The true star of Top Gun Movie and a great carrier borne fighter in its time. Also the only Phonix carrying aircraft. And while in the Marines got to work with the Bombcat version which I thought it was an okay a/c.

[@XY-dc4yp]

Top Gun Maverick bought me here

[@AryanDiablo]

The throwback they did to this plane in the new Top Gun movie was really cool. Brought a tear to my eye honestly

[@IMMORTALDIO]

Magnificent fighter . It just looks beautiful [ if you are not the enemy] . Great share here , and i loved hearing all about these. A big thank you to all who served in them .

[@vicg5323]

So much criticism was made when development began, too expensive, computer systems too slow to safely fly, but once CPU were fast enough and many of these planes were built, she quickly showed her metal and worth. 30 years plus of service only the venerable B-52 has a longer service record. The Tomcat will always be in my heart the best all around, morphing geometry plane ever built.

[@AA-xo9uw]

"30 years plus of service only the venerable B-52 has a longer service record." Quite a few types have/had longer service lives.

[@MichaelRasco]

I remember seeing this plane as a little kid. Thought it was the most advanced looking thing ever. Crazy to think it’s as old as it is. Yes the F-22 and the tech in the F-35 are out of this world but the Tomcat was a marvel of its time.

[@tomkjr1]

F-14 Tomcat is and always will be my favorite jet fighter. IMO it is the most beautiful looking too.

[@RickC1Thirty7]

These sweeping wings are just two satisfying to watch. I love this jet.

[@Kodiak.Bear.]

The F14 was one bad ass fighter jet!! I was waiting to see it's upgrade to the F21 SuperTomcat which was a beast..sadly they chose to retire this magnificent jet..

[@CsaW4rri0r]

An advanced F-14 and a fully fleshed out YF-23 Black Widow II were two aircraft that should've been developed. Military really dropped the ball on those two aircraft.

[@papercutpostman1660]

Seen the F14 flyby when I was young. Im very lucky. Just seeing it on video makes me tear up a bit.

[@negkoray]

THE most beautiful fighter. Been in love with it since I was a kid.

[@motaz1975]

the reasons for its retirement stated here were not the reason it was retired. it was maintenance and cost that killed it. the military had been on a steady decline at that point.

[@AA-xo9uw]

"it was maintenance and cost that killed it."(sic) Cheney killed it. Not being able to adequately fund the necessary upgrades led to the increase in both MMH and costs.

[@motaz1975]

@@AA-xo9uw sure but the military was already heading into "one size fits all" mentality.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@motaz1975 Short sighted consequence of the "end of the cold war" and the zealous rush to spend the peace dividend on a cornucopia of unnecessary crapola.

[@christophersiber1164]

I loved watching these and the F-111 A fly. I also liked the F-16. SR-22 was an Amazing plane to see in person as well.

[@777bhana]

Fell in love w/ the F-14 watching Robotech & Top Gun as a kid…… awesome times!!!

[@iamjackscompletelackofsurp9606]

A beautiful fighter! To think Iran still has over a dozen of these in pristine condition

[@TomcatE303]

F-14D was in its time the best 4 generation fighter.

[@Inspadave]

Yeah. Soooo much better than that slug F-15 . . . . he said, sarcastically.

[@wadopotato33]

That was probably the F-15.

[@TomcatE303]

@@wadopotato33 At that time F-15 had lots of drawbacks compared to the F-14D. One was the lack of long range missile like AIM-54C.

[@wadopotato33]

@@TomcatE303 The AIM-54C was a missile designed for Soviet bombers and would not have been effective against agile fighters. The Tomcat would also not have been effective against the F-15. The F-15 was designed to do 9G turns from the start. The F-14 was limited to 6.5 G's for fear that the engine would stall. These were never in the same class. Mostly due to the F-14 being prohibitively unreliable and complex. It had one of the worst engine pairings ever put into a plane. The original engine was designed for the F-111 and it was never a good match for a fighter. The Navy's first batch of F-14As range in at $38 million per aircraft in 1973. That sounds pretty cheap compared to around $88 million for a new F-15EX these days, but when you adjust that number to reflect nearly five decades of inflation, you get a downright shocking figure of more than $234 million per F-14 Tomcat. That makes it one of the most expensive fighters of all time. And one of the most unreliable and expensive to maintain: Depending on the Navy estimate, the F-14 Tomcat required between 30 hours and 60 hours of maintenance for every one hour it spent in the air. More troubling still, with the engines mounted a vast 9 feet apart to allow for greater lift and more weapons carriage space, a stall in one engine could throw the aircraft into an often unrecoverable flat spin. These issues led to the loss of a whopping 40 F-14s in all. So I am sorry, but the Tomcat was retired none to soon. It is not, nor will it ever be as good a plane as the F-15. What it was was overpriced, unreliable and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, unecessary. As a fellow lover of things that go fast, I appreciate the F-14. It was one of my favorite planes as a kid. However, I understand full-well why the Navy couldn't wait to get rid of it. If 40 F-35's had been lost to one kind of engine failure and an F-35 cost 221 million dollars per plane...it would have been cancelled already. Social media would have killed it alone. The navy moving to the F-18 that weighs half as much is twice as reliable and requires a fifth the maintenance...no brainer. The F-18 is a great workhorse for the Navy.

[@TomcatE303]

@@wadopotato33 You have some wrong information about F-14 and its capabilities. Firstly AIM-54 is effective for fighters. Iran did prove that (some 42 victories of fighters with it). It's common misunderstanding that AIM-54 is not good for maneuvering targets . F-14 was rated to 7.5 g's. F-14 was a better all around fighter in a dogfight too because of its variable geometry wings and two man crew (two set of eyes and brains). F-15 is optimized for curving at speed of Mach 0.9 at some specific altitude. F-14 did not had that restriction due its computer controlled variable geometry wings. You can Read about F-14 vs. F-15 from the: FLIGHT International, 26 November 1977 magazine. It is true that A-model suffered from its TF-30 engine. But the airframe and weapon systems made it better than others. And I was talking about D-model which had GE-engines that were much better. If you compare the F-14A and F-15A price at the time the latter was not cheap either. And it lacked long range missile and it was not capable to land on carrier too. It's radar was also less powerful (AN/APG-63 range 240 km vs. AWG-9 range 313 km for bomber size targets) . So there was lot more fighter with that higher price.

[@ronaanwer7161]

even though it is retired,the f-14 will remain in my heart.

[@michelleguyton9278]

I saw this plane fly at the RAF Lakenheath or Mildenhall air shows, it was this that I gained my love for the Tomcats and American planes