The F-14 Tomcat Story

The story of the US Navy's primary air superiority fighter and tactical reconnaissance platform from 1972 to 2006

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Designed to improve on the F-4 Phantom’s air combat performance, the Tomcat entered service in 1974 with the US Navy, replacing the F-4 Phantom II. The winning Grumman design reused the TF30 engines from the F-111B, though the Navy planned on replacing them with the F401-PW-400 engines then under development by Pratt and Whitney for the Navy. Though lighter than the F-111B, it was still the largest and heaviest U.S. fighter to ever fly from an aircraft carrier. The F-14 had its first kills on 19 August 1981 over the Gulf of Sidra and went on to serve in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The only F-14 loss in combat was when a crew was shot down over Iraq, the pilot rescued by Special Forces and the RIO held as a POW until the end of the war. In this book Tony Holmes tells the story of this fascinating aircraft which still serves in Iran’s Air Force today.