Picture this: A silhouette that made mothers nervous and aviation enthusiasts weak in the knees. The ultimate wingman of the 1980s, an aerial aristocrat with an attitude to match its altitude. Before there were social media influencers, there was this titanium trendsetter cutting through clouds at Mach 2.
With wings that could sweep faster than a smooth operator’s hair flip and a radar that could spot trouble from yesterday, this chrome-plated charmer was the original Sigma male of the skies. A spendthrift? Oh, absolutely—it burned through fuel like a rock star through a record deal. But when you’re the undisputed king of naval aviation, who’s counting?
This jet was loyalty personified in steel and titanium—a faithful guardian of aircraft carriers and the pilot’s ultimate partner in aerial ballet. Yet it carried itself with the swagger of a fighter who knew its own legend, a narcissist with the credentials to back up every boast.
From the silver screen to the front lines, this mechanical maverick wrote its name in the contrails of history. A legend? More like the legend—the one that made other fighters wish they could be so cool.
Have you guessed who we’re talking about yet? No, We are not talking about Tom Cruise.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the F-14 Tomcat—the fighter jet that didn’t just push the envelope, it autographed it and handed it back with a sonic boom.
The F-14 Tomcat was developed as a carrier of the large AIM-54 Phoenix missile. Initially, a carrier-based version of the F-111 was planned to carry it (another epic Frankenstein, which proved itself more as a bomber), but a series of failures forced the Navy to abandon the expensive, complex, and heavy plane in favor of developing a new aircraft.
The prototype’s first flight took place on December 21, 1970, just four days before Christmas, and Grumman (the aircraft’s developer) had to conduct the flight in a rush. If they hadn’t gotten the plane in the air before 1971, they would have had to pay a fine to the US Navy for not meeting contract terms. The test pilots earned hefty overtime pay for missing the holiday. The aircraft began entering service squadrons in 1972.
During its service, the aircraft earned a positive reputation. It participated in combat duty across all seven seas, shot down Libyan MiGs, bombed Iraq, and even appeared in movies. It was decommissioned in 2006 and sent into an undeserved retirement.
The reason for its retirement was the discontinuation of the long-range Phoenix missile, which was scrapped in 2004. The Tomcat was the only carrier of this missile, and to save money, it too was retired. That’s the official story, but unofficially—lobbying in the military department that heavily pushed the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. The truth is somewhere in between.
Over its service, the Tomcat gathered a real fan base, which not every plane can boast of. It became a symbol of the power of aircraft carriers, their long arm, and the scourge of Soviet heavy missile carriers. Why was it so popular?
First of all, it was because of the image of naval aviators themselves—in America, they were true sigmas, with a reputation as daring adventurers. Here’s a short excerpt from a letter by a former pilot, comparing service in the US Air Force and the Navy:
As a Navy pilot, you’ll miss tons of family holidays… You’ll fly with Navy legends, and they’ll kick you in the rear until you become a true killer… The hottest girls at the bar will DREAM of meeting a Navy pilot. That bar is in Singapore, though.
P.S. Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.”
This kind of attitude was not uncommon; naval aviators justifiably saw land-based pilots as white-collar types.
The second reason for the Tomcat’s popularity was the plane’s excellent flight characteristics (especially from the B version, which had better engines – the General Electric F110). It had a beautiful and stylish design, and advanced technology—a powerful radar, variable wing sweep, and more. Its mission was to intercept missile carriers and cruise missiles, and it essentially served as the fleet’s shield against aerial threats. The Phoenix missile’s range was astonishing in every sense—180 kilometers under ideal conditions! And the Sidewinder missiles and the 20mm Vulcan cannon left no chance for the enemy in close combat.
The Phoenix missile was so expensive that it was fired only on rare occasions. At one point, the Phoenix’s price reached a million dollars—a huge sum for the time. In combat, Iranian pilots fired it during the Iran-Iraq war with decent success, but American pilots had less luck—just a couple of episodes, both resulting in misses. It’s no surprise—the missile was huge and heavy, and it performed best at high altitudes, where the thin air allowed it to reach higher speeds. But you can’t blame the missile—it wasn’t meant for shooting down fighters.
Some old-timers still grumble that the plane was retired too soon. Tomcat pilots, especially those who graduated from the famous Top Gun school, were like rock stars, but in the military world. Two movies were made about it (“Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick”), where Tom Cruise was merely a supporting actor. Here’s a letter from a pilot to the Tomcat, written in memory of an old friend:
“Goodbye, fighter, defender of America and our asses. We will miss you, your coolness, your craziness, your raw power. Even in the face of technological progress, you bowed to no one. Thanks for the memories—they’re worthy of any novel.”
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