The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a twin-engine, variable sweep wings capable of supersonic flight. The aircraft is crewed by a Pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer who share the tasks of navigation, target acquisition, ECM and weapons usage. The Tomcat was operated by the United States Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force only. The name “Tomcat” is said to come from the call-sign used by Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly which conformed to the USN tradition of giving Grumman aircraft feline names.

In December 1990, VF-84 deployed on board USS Theodore Roosevelt to take part in Operation Desert Shield which soon became Operation Desert Storm. VF-84 flew 468 combat sorties and F-14A Tomcat 162692 was assigned to the VF-84 CO. After Desert Storm VF-84 flew 111 more sorties in support of Operation Provide Comfort before USS Forrestal relieved the USS Theodore Roosevelt in June 1991. The aircraft was given this new scheme upon returning home from ODS and OPC. This aircraft was flown by several squadrons over its life which ended at AMARC on August 3, 2005.

Specifications for the Grumman Aerospace F-14 Tomcat

• Role - Carrier-based multi-role strike fighter
• First Flight – F-14A 1970, F-14B (F-14A+) 1986, F-14D 1990
• Last Production Year – F-14D July 20, 1992
• Number All Variants Produced – 710
• Crew - 2 (pilot and radar intercept officer).
• Type F-14A F-14B (F-14A+) F-14D

Dimensions

• Length 62 ft 8 inches 62 ft 8 inches 62 ft 8 inches
• Wingspan (Swept) 38 ft 2.5 inches 38 ft 2.5 inches 38 ft 2.5 inches
• Wingspan (Unswept) 64 ft 1.5 inches 64 ft 1.5 inches 64 ft 1.5 inches
• Height 16 ft 16 ft 16ft Performance

Powerplants

• F-14A 2 x P&W TF-30-P414A F-14B 2 x GE F-110-GE-400 F-14D 2 x GE F-110-GE-400
• Maximum Thrust - F-14A 34,154 lbs F-14B 56,400 lbs F-14D 56,400 lbs
• Maximum Speed - F-14A 1,544 mph (Mach 2.38) F-14B 1,544 mph (Mach 2.38) F-14D 1,544 mph (Mach 2.38)
• Ceiling - F-14A 50,000+ ft F-14B 53,000+ ft F-14D 53,000+ ft
• Range - F-14A 1,730 nm F-14B 2,050 nm F-14D 2,050 nm Weight
• Empty - F-14A 40,104 pounds F-14B 41,780 pounds F-14D 43,735 pounds
• Maximum - F-14A 72,000 pounds F-14B 74,349 pounds F-14D 74,349 pounds

Armament

• 1 x MK-61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon Maximum Weight – 13,000 lbs. Of Combined Ordnance
• Air-Air Missiles
• 6 AIM-7 Sparrows
• 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder
• 6 AIM-54 Phoenix Air-To-Ground
• MK-82 (500 lbs.)
• 4 MK-83 (1,000 lbs.)
• 4 MK-84 (2,000 lbs.)
• MK-20 cluster bombs
• 4 GBU-10 LGB
• GBU-12 MK-82 LGB
• 4 GBU-16 MK-83 LGB
• 4 GBU-24 MK-84 LGB

Info: Grumman F-14A Tomcat  - VF-33, USS America, 1990