U.S. Navy Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Additional Information:

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an US Navy carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. A large and well-equipped fighter, the F-14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War. The F-14 made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy’s primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 2000s. The Tomcat was retired by U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006.

On January 20, 1978 an F-14, Bu No. 160652, landed on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The aircraft was from the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Miramar, California. Upon touch-down he blew both main tires when the brakes locked. The minor damage was repaired by the Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility (NWEF) on Kirtland. Other F-14’s, Bu No. 159003 and 160404 were stationed here in 1981 for electronic test and vulnerability issues at Sandia Laboratories. Many other transient F-14’s have landed at Kirtland AFB throughout the years.

GALLERY: