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Designed to carry the formidable long range AIM-54 Phoenix missile, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was first flown on December 21st, 1970. Made famous by the Hollywood film Top Gun, the F-14 replaced the F-4 Phantom II as the US Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter. Its design includes a variable geometry wing that can sweep back for high speed supersonic intercepts and forward for improved positioning in air to air dogfights. Nicknamed "Bombcat," the F-14 spent much of its late career in an air-to-ground role, carrying the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system. 

The Be-Devilers last cruise took place in 1992 and saw the squadron flying in support of the United Nations aid to the former republics of Yugoslavia. After returning home In 1993, the squadron took up an aggressor role while working with various Navy and Air Force squadrons. Aggressor aircraft are flown in a way that simulates the tactics and capabilities of air forces deemed most likely to be a threat to the US. Adversary aircraft are typically painted to simulate aircraft from air forces that pose a likely threat to the US at the time of training. VF-74's Tomcats we were painted in Su-27 style camouflage, with each aircraft featuring a slight variation on the scheme. The F-14B proved to be an extremely effective aggressor, providing capabilities akin to those of the Su-27 and MiG-31. VF-74 was finally disestablished on the 30th of April 1994 after 50 successful years of service.

Info: F-14B Tomcat - USN VF-74 Be-Devilers, AA101, 1994