Why the Super Tomcat 21 Was Not To Be: Designed to incorporate the air combat experience learned during the Vietnam wᴀʀ, the Grumman F-14 was the first of the American “Teen Series” fighter jets that would include the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F/A-18 Hornet.
During its three decades in service with the United States Navy, the F-14 Tomcat more than lived up to the role it was initially designed for, drawing blood in combat and even getting its moment in the spotlight in the film Top Gun.
The carrier-based multi-role fighter was developed after the United States Congress halted the development of the F-111B along with the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program. While the goal of that effort was to supply the United States Air Force and the United States Navy with the planes to fit each of their individual needs, the Navy was opposed.
The F-111B, having been modified to meet Navy mission requirements, was deemed too heavy for carrier operations and the contract was canceled in April 1968. Subsequently, the Navy inaugurated a new design contest for what was termed the VFX program, the two primary competitors being McDonnell Douglas and Grumman. The Grumman’s design won out, and it followed the aircraft maker’s tradition of naming its planes after cats – thus the “Tomcat” was born.
The F-14, which made its first flight in 1970, arrived as a supersonic, twin-engine, variable-sweep wing, two-seat fighter that was designed to engage enemy aircraft in all weather conditions as well as at night.
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