Key Points and Summary: Decades after its retirement, the F-14 Tomcat remains an aviation icon due to its extensive and versatile combat record, which surpassed that of the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 ...

Many of the F-14’s design innovations were intended for long-range strike missions—but served it well in close-quarters ...

The functions that the US Navy built the F-14 Tomcat for—aerial interception of Soviet fighter jets—became irrelevant after the Cold War ended. Most people know the F-14 Tomcat as a Cold War ...

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Thus far, the F-14 Tomcat’s primary role—fleet air defense—has yet to be fully replicated by any of its successors. In September 2006, the United States lost its need for speed. That was the year that ...