US Navy F14 Tomcat (1970-2006) Retired
The United States Navy has formally recalled the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. I discovered this while watching a television news channel in Los Angeles. The ceremony took place in Miramar, which is located near San Diego. Most Americans compare the F14 to the movie “Top Gun”. When you mention to someone that you spent many years in the Navy working on F14, they usually say something about the movie. It is always interesting to talk to someone who does not know you up close and personal. I never flew the plane, but knew how to keep it combat ready for the fleet. I spent six years in the Navy as an F-14 radar technician. I spent another 7 years working for the Navy as a civilian “Technical Representative”. I was at sea aboard the USS Enterprise, USS Roosevelt, USS America, and closed my naval career by flying to the USS Forrestal in 1991. At that time, the USS Forrestal was at sea in the Mediterranean, so this required a Flight to the ship in the sea. So when I hear someone talk about the F-14 Tomcat in Naval Aviation, I have some personal insights.
My first experience with the plane was in 1977. At the time, I was a 19-year-old sailor from St. Louis and had only seen a few pictures in magazines prior to my arrival at NAS Miramar, California. The F-14s were replacing the old Navy F-4 Phantoms in 1977 and the Tomcats looked like something out of a science fiction book. At that time, I had a hard time learning to master its complexity. My specialty was the AN / AWG-9 radar, which was the most powerful airborne radar ever mounted on a supersonic fighter. The radar was unique in its primary function of shooting down small low-flying high-speed cruise missiles that skimmed the ocean surface and also MIG 25s that flew in MACH 3 at 80,000 feet. After spending nearly two years in Navy technical schools, I was deemed worthy of working on the complex F-14 radar system. At the time, the aircraft was a truly revolutionary improvement to Naval Aviation. Even to this day, some of its unique capabilities remain unmatched.
My family has a history of being involved with United States fighters. My older brother retired as a USAF lieutenant colonel and flew the phantom F-4, F-5 and F-16. He spent years as an aggressive pilot teaching pilots dogfighting skills. My other brother retired as a USAF radar technician and worked on the F-106, F-4, F16, and F-15. So being the only Navy man in the family, they annoy me a lot when I talk about the F-14 as the true superior weapon. When they say that the F15 and F16 are better in hand-to-hand combat, I mean it depends as much on the pilot as it is on the machine. But more importantly, if your job is to take off and destroy an enemy plane, you are not going to fight a fair battle. You will use whatever advantage you have to kill him before he kills you.
The F-14 can fire at others using its superior radar, so the Navy has its eyes on the target first. The F-14 could detect a midair treat at a much longer range than any other midair fighter. The F-14D Tomcat could also fly at supersonic speed without firing its afterburner for a supersonic cruise. Naval Airmen called it “Super Cruiser”. And the Navy can fire its long-range AIM-54 Phoenix missiles first. The USAF currently uses the new AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, which is an exceptional air-to-air missile, but has less than half the range of the AIM-54. This means that the Navy fighter pilot can fire his missiles at a longer range and still be effective. Once the missile gets close to the target, it uses its onboard active radar to target the final impact. During the live-fire missile exercises, the AIM-54’s kill rate exceeded 90 percent, which is outstanding. The AIM-120 uses this same concept and this technology was carried over from our experience with the AIM-54. The F-14 Tomcat is the only fighter to use the long-range AIM-54.
The only AIM-54 used in combat was that of the IAF (Iranian Air Force) who bought 100 F-14 Tomcats in the mid-1970s. Iranian airspace was being violated by high-flying MIG 25s flying at Mach 3. For this reason, Iran selected the F-14 Tomcat to protect its airspace. Once his F-14 jet shot down a Russian high-speed unmanned resonance plane, flights from Russia ceased. During the Iraq / Iran war, they effectively used their AIM-54 missiles to destroy their opposing force. Unofficial kills with its limited number of missiles go as high as 40. We will probably never know the exact number, but Iran continues to fly its Tomcats.
The USAF and USN practice their combat skills over the Nevada desert in an exercise called “Red Flag.” It is one of the most realistic combat simulations in the world. Air forces from around the world flock to these exercises to hone their combat skills. On one deployment, I was told that Navy F-14 crews were not allowed to use their airborne radar outside of the conflict area because this would give them an advantage. Typically, an F-14 would sweep a section of the sky to search for enemy targets. This plane would share its data with other F-14s on patrol without turning on their radars. This discreet exchange of information would keep the enemy guessing at your true location. This tactic would not reveal their location, as it was not necessary to turn on their individual radars.
When it comes to one-on-one combat between USAF and USN fighter pilots, I cannot speak for them. But I do know that a WWII ace and test pilot, Chuck Yeager, wrote about what makes a good pilot. He said you must first have excellent eyesight as the first to spot the other from long range has the advantage in combat. But he also said that he was a good pilot because he had a lot of flying experience. I was deployed to the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in 1977 and spent the next four years and three months on board. The only thing that really surprised me was how planes could land at night on a slippery flight deck that swayed up and down and side to side. I’m not saying that Navy pilots are better, but they are very experienced and good at what they do. If I had a couple of MIG fighters coming in with hostile intentions, I’d be really comfortable knowing that one of our F-14s is patrolling over the horizon. I took a photo of the cockpit of an F-14 that had five red stars painted from the VF-2 squadron. RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) Willie Driscol flew with fighter pilot Randy Cuningham in a Navy F-4 Phantom during the Vietnam War. They were the first American fighting aces of the war. I slept comfortably on the ship knowing that we had experienced crews protecting our aircraft carrier at sea.
During the first Gulf War, F-14s were restricted from fighter jet coverage over Iraqi territory with the highest concentration of MIG fighters. Most of the male cats simply stayed on the water near the carriers to protect themselves from the air. When the Iraqi Air Force decided to bring all of its remaining fighters to Iran, the Coalition Air Forces had nothing that could shoot them down. As a result, the Iranian Air Force now has between 50 and 100 additional fighters. Iran fought a long and tough war with Iraq and I doubt they would ever let them fly back after the war ended. It would have been a beautiful sight to see dozens of AIM-54s in the sky screeching at their targets at Mach 4 as they tried to escape to Iran.
The USAF now has a wonderful new stealth fighter, the Lockheed Martin “F / A-22 Raptor”. The first operational squads are now based at Langley AFB, Virginia. This plane will dominate the airspace of any enemy. His full capabilities are still somewhat classified, but he is a truly revolutionary fighter for the 21st century. I have never seen it fly, but I will attend the open house at Edwards AFB this weekend and watch the F / A-22 airborne flight demonstration. When I look at this flight, I will be almost 50 years old, but my thoughts will go back almost 30 years ago when, when I was a young enlisted in the Navy, I watched F-14 Tomcats fly over NAS Miramar (Fighter Town USA). The Tomcat provided the United States Navy with a proud history. I’m sure the F / A-22 will do the same with the USAF in the next 30.
In conclusion, I did not write this article to generate animosity between the USAF and USN fighting community. Each service has a proud history and will continue to have drivers who are truly, “The best of the best.” I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve our nation, especially in the difficult war we face today. God bless you all and may you all return home safe and sound when your homework is done.