If you were around in the 80’s, you’ve probably seen the movie Top Gun.
And while the film largely centered around a shirtless Tom Cruise playing beach volleyball,
it was also about something else.
The US Navy’s Long Range Interceptor, the F-14 Tomcat.
The Tomcat and Tom Cruise were so culturally significant, that Navy Reports state enlistments
of new naval aviators, rose by 500%.
By the way, there’s a Top Gun Sequel slated for 2019.
The F-14 was also one of the first new jets of the video game era, giving rise to titles
like Captain Skyhawk for the original NES.
The Tomcat is pretty iconic, but what was happening in the world that gave rise to this
larger than life jet?
The
US Navy’s history with aircraft carriers goes all the way back to the 1920’s.
But in the 50’s, the Soviet Union was working on long-range anti-ship missiles that could
be deployed by air, ground, and sea to target carriers.
These new missiles could bypass a Carrier Strike Group's defense grid of cruisers, destroyers,
and submarines.
To say that admirals and high ranking Pentagon officials were concerned would be an understatement.
The solution would come from Howard Hughes’ Aircraft Company as a radical new long-range
missile, the AIM-54 Phoenix.
This gargantuan missile was 15” (380mm) in Diameter, 13’ (4m) long, weighed 1000
lbs (450kg) and could fly above 80,000ft at speeds of Mach 5.
It was designed as the ultimate air to air missile and could bring down aircraft and
missiles alike.
There was just one problem; the Phoenix was so big, there wasn’t an aircraft big and
fast enough to carry it.
In an effort to save money, the Pentagon wanted to develop a joint program between the Air
Force and Navy called TFX, or Tactical Fighter Experimental, resulting in the F-111.
But sharing a platform with an Air Force bomber greatly compromised the aircraft’s design
for the Navy’s intended purpose.
After some weak carrier trials, where forward visibility and high weight were a concern,
it was agreed that the Navy should get the custom interceptor they desperately wanted.
The contract went to Grumman Aerospace, and they took what they learned on the VFX program
to arrive at their 303 Design.
It met all Navy requirements and the F-14 was born.
The Phoenix missile wouldn’t be complete without equally capable onboard radar.
In partnership with the development of the Phoenix, Hughes also developed the AWG-9 radar
system for the Tomcat.
It could track up to six targets at once, and quickly fire upon foes a hundred miles
away.
At the core of the F-14’s Iconic design is the Swing Wings that sweep between 20 and
68 degrees in flight based on airspeed.
For low and slow carrier approaches, the wings swing forward, while sweeping back when reaching
the F-14’s top speed of Mach 2.
In comparison, the F/A-18 and later F-35 both fly around Mach 1.5.
Another striking characteristic is the huge area between the wings, lovingly referred
to as the tennis court.
This big center section allowed for 6 Phoenix missiles, and the mechanisms for swinging
wings.
It also accounted for around 25% of the aircraft's total lift, leaving less air over the control
surfaces, and somewhat hampered roll and maneuverability.
The F-14 served the US Navy from 1974 to 2006 and made its combat debut in April 1975 escorting
American citizens out of Saigon.
The F-14s first kills would come in 1981 when the US 6th fleet took up position in the Gulf
of Sidra.
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi made it clear to the US that “to sail into my gulf, is to cross
the line of death.”
The Libyans scrambled 2 Soviet-built Su-22 fighters armed with heat-seeking missiles
and opened fire on the Tomcats.
The F-14s showcased their superior maneuverability in dogfighting, evading all missiles, and
shot the Su22’s out of the sky.
Questions immediately abound as to what this meant, and if Libya would go to war with the
US.
Ultimately, such was the confidence in the F-14, that President Reagan’s staff would
let him sleep another 6 hours before briefing him on the tense incident.
A sense of deja vu would follow in 1989 when again off the coast of Libya, US F-14s would
be met, this time, by newly commissioned MIG 23 Floggers.
The F-14s again turned to avoid conflict, while the Libyan Migs turned in to pursue.
After a few tense moments, the F-14s met their rules of engagement and again, shot both Migs
out of the sky.
Ultimately the F-14’s combat record reads as follows: It shot down 5 aircraft in total.
4 Libyan fighters and a Russian built Iraqi Mi-8 Helicopter.
It suffered 0 losses in air to air combat, and 1 loss due to ground fire.
The Phoenix Missile would account for none of those kills.
In fact, in its entire US Navy history, the vaunted Phoenix was only ever fired a handful
of times, mostly ending in rocket motor failures, and zero kills.
But before we dive into those numbers, you might have noticed that we said US F-14s,
and well that’s because one other country was flying them too, the Iranians.
Now that might sound hard to believe, giving the current political climate, but the Shahs
of Iran were friendly to the US and it wasn't until the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979
when everything changed.
During the Iran-Iraq war, Iranian F-14s accounted for 130 air to air kills, suffered 4 air to
air losses, and 4 ground losses.
The most decorated F-14 pilot isn't even American, he's an Iranian Pilot Jalil Zandi with 11
confirmed kills.
But to get a better sense of the US Tomcat, you really have to consider every skirmish
avoided, ever conflict that didn’t materialize, and every dogfight that wasn’t to be.
One of the most iconic images of the US Tomcat is playing host and escort to unwanted Soviet
Tu-95 Bear Reconnaissance aircraft during the cold war.
In an effort to know about US strategy, the Soviets tried to keep a close eye on US Naval
Carrier positions around the globe, and if anything got too close for comfort, F-14s
would be scrambled to intercept.
Most enemy aircraft were ordered to immediately disengage and run away, just at the mere sight
of being painted by the F-14s giant long-range radar.
The combination of the F-14 Tomcat and Phoenix Missile was the ultimate deterrent.
So while for the Iranians the F-14 was an ultimate fighter, for the Americans, it allowed
them to speak softly, but carry a big stick.
Many retired US Military aircraft are resigned to a life of quiet dignity at Davis Monthan
Air Force Base in Arizona.
But most F-14's have been completely destroyed, just so there's no risk of any spare parts
falling into Iranian hands.
It’s believed that F-14s are still in service in Iran, but with spare part shortages, it's
hard to imagine they're at top operational readiness.
So what exactly is the legacy of the F-14 Tomcat?
It has already taken its rightful place as one of the coolest, most capable fighter jets
ever to grace the skies, and marked a technological milestone in Air Superiority fighters.
It made fighter jets mainstream and has undoubtedly inspired a generation.
What are your favorite aspects of the F-14 story, and what would you like us to make
videos about in the future?
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