Finally, in 1991 it took part in the last conflict in which it served in its original role, as a ‘pure’ interceptor, during the II Persian Gulf War. Alone during the 1980s, it saw eight years of intensive combat operations during the Iran-Iraq War, where it scored its first kill ever (a gun kill against an Iraqi Mi-25 attack helicopter), and then in service with the US Navy off Iran (Iran hostage crisis), Libya ( two air combats and dozens of ‘close calls’), Lebanon and Syria (reconnaissance ‘only’), Somalia (reconnaissance) etc. The F-14 also saw much more combat than usually thought: indeed, much more than the other ‘teen fighters’ – including F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 – combined. Some crews loved it (and still love the Tomcat), others not, and it’s certain that ground crews servicing the type have had (and still have) their own feelings about the type: regardless if positivelly or negativelly, it’s unlikely the Tomcat has ever left anybody unimpressed. On the contrary, its weapons system was easily outmatching everything that was in service from the 1970s well into the 1990s. It was the last of what I call ‘muscle plane’: even if the first aircraft ever to have microchips installed, it had no such accessories like fly-by-wire, and was terribly troubled by its original engines (and few other vices). The F-14 was always highly controversial: partially developed for a task it never performed in real life, complex, expensive, and providing capabilities de-facto undreamt of at earlier times. Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat: something like that type’s 50th birthday. The F-14 saw much more combat than usually thought: indeed, much more than the other ‘teen fighters’ – including F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 – combined.

Hate it or love it 50