F-14A Tomcat

The story of how all Miramar Tomcat squadrons got the funds to purchase riflescopes to attach to the HUD of their F-14 fighter jets

The story of how all Miramar Tomcat squadrons got the funds to purchase riflescopes to attach to the HUD of their F-14 fighter jets

The Black Lions F-14 Tomcat pilots completed tactical assessment that found that against a MiG-sized target, the VID range… Read More

12 hours ago

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor explains how he was able to nail MiG-29 Fulcrum in a 1v1 Dogfight

“I saw his two afterburners. He is probably doing 500 knots, straight downhill, with both afterburners. And I thought, ‘Gotcha!’… Read More

2 weeks ago

US Naval Aviator who flew both the F-4 and F-14 tells about the negative and positive attributes of the Phantom II and Tomcat during Carrier Landing

The approach speed of the F-4 was little slower than the F-8, the view looking forward in the F-14… Read More

1 month ago

Libyan MiG-23 pilot tells the story of memorable dogfight he had with US Navy F-14 Tomcats

“I pushed my throttle to full dry power while my aircraft went through the vertical and pointed at the Tomcats… Read More

1 month ago

US Navy Test Pilot tells the story of the F-14 Tomcat Fatal Flat Spin Mode That Was Never Supposed to Happen

‘Within seconds the F-14 Tomcat rotation rate shot up to 180deg/sec and g forces reached 7.8g eyeballs-out! My head was… Read More

3 months ago

Tomcat RIO Recalls when He and His Pilot had to Eject from their F-14 because the Arresting Gear Failed when They Landed Aboard the Aircraft Carrier

It was later determined that the mishap was caused by one of the four cables was not set to the… Read More

4 months ago

US Navy F-14 Tomcat RIO tells the story of when he and his pilot intercepted Concorde during Operation Desert Shield

‘As we swung our nose in the direction of the vector we got, I got an immediate lock on an… Read More

5 months ago

Here’s how US Navy F-14As allowed USAF F-15Es to get the most out of their AAQ-28 Litening II pods during Operation Iraqi Freedom

The expertise and professionalism of the Tomcat FAC(A)s allowed Strike Eagle aircrews who worked with them to get the most… Read More

5 months ago

Tomcat RIO tells the story of Santa Brutus, VF-211 Fighting Checkmates F-14 featuring Christmas-Theme Markings

The tails of the F-14 Tomcat featured the character from the squadron logo, who we called Brutus, dressed as Santa… Read More

6 months ago

The story of the Iraqi MiG-23 Flogger that mistakenly shot down an Iranian F-14 Tomcat that was defecting to Iraq

The young lieutenant acquired lock-on and fired a single R-24T. The hefty weapon detonated below the F-14A, setting it… Read More

7 months ago

“Splash the Zeros!” F-14 pilot who flew in The Final Countdown shares his personal notes on the movie that introduced the Tomcat to Hollywood

Six years before “Top Gun” prominently featured the F-14 Tomcat, “The Final Countdown” proved that Grumman’s twin-tailed fighter had star… Read More

8 months ago

F-14’s first air-to-air kill was gun kill. But it wasn’t scored by a US Navy Tomcat.

A US Navy legend maintains that a few older F-14 pilots promised to erect a monument to the first individual… Read More

9 months ago

Tomcat RIO tells the story behind this famed F-14 Cockpit Selfie

'Here’s the story behind one of my selfies that has gotten much more exposure than I ever expected. (Exposure, get… Read More

10 months ago

A Life-or-Death Experience: Former F-14 pilot tells the story of when he and his RIO had Tomcat single-engine cat shot

“As I quickly found out, the F-14 could fly single-engine, even with full fuel and a typical loadout. Our Tomcat… Read More

11 months ago

IRIAF F-14 Tomcat crashes near the central city of Isfahan. Both crew members eject safely.

The IRIAF Tomcat involved in the accident is believed to be F-14A serial 3-6054. An Islamic Republic of Iran Air… Read More

12 months ago

There was Real-Life Goose RIO who was Killed during an Ejection Accident too: but Instead of the Top Gun Character He Ended Up with five total Ejections, the Last being Fatal

Goose (Maverick’s Radar Intercept Officer, RIO) provided an emotional spine to Top Gun when he is killed by accident and… Read More

1 year ago