The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the U
A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf region in 2005
The F-111B was designed to fulfill the carrier-based interceptor role, but had weight and performance problems, and was not suited to the types of aerial combat that were predominant over Vietnam.
Grumman's VFX entry was designed around the TF30 engine, AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 missile intended for the F-111B; this eventually became the F-14A.
VFA-143 "Pukin Dogs" F-14B (in the foreground) and F/A-18E Super Hornet in 2005
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
…F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform…
The McDonnell F3H-G/H mockup, 1954
Key figures in the F-4 development: David Lewis, Robert Little, and Herman Barkey
An F4H-1F aboard Independence, April 1960