" ... Fighter Squadron, VF-51 ... 1978-1980 .... 1979, Particated during an Extended 'WESPAC' ... Deployed to Indian Ocean, in Response to a 'Hostage Situation', in Iran ... Mission ? ... On-going Ship Observation and Continual 'Air Ops', Off the Coast of Iran, ... Stationed, Aboard the War-Seasoned - U.S.S. 🐈 Kitty Hawk ... Very, Proud, to Have Served in the U.S. Navy ... 'Achors, Aweigh , m' Boyz !!"
I was in a F14 Tomcat squadron at NAS Miramar called VF24 Fighting Renegades when I was in the US Navy. I am impressed by it as a ground crew person, aka Plane Captain.
@@brianrandol Thank you for your service! Men and women like you and that other poster are the reason my son, daughter, wife and I can sleep soundly tonight.
@@rogueshadow4960 there was an idia, F21 14 but it was scrapped, since the americans said it was expensive..it couldve been a better replacement than the super hornet. Today the Super hornet is too slow and its basicly a sitting duck in BVR..it can get kills, its a formidable multi role aircraft, but against modern easter tech, i dont think it will do that good.
@@capt-rex2894 there’s no point in making a new f14 when the f35 was already in development. Super hornets as well as F35C fighters is better then just the F14. Without the hornet the navy might still be using A7 Corsair’s anyways.
@@lw3894 I know, but he acts as if the F-111 does not have folding wings. In addition, instability is not automatically a bad thing. It is if you don't have fly by wire, but fly by wire controls combined with instability made the F-16 one of the most maneuverable fighters when it first came out.
Tomcat: My engines are superior to anything the Soviets have! Pilots: Then can I have both engines working properly at takeoff/landing? Tomcat: Best I can do is one.
I heard from an actual former F-14 pilot, when you fire an Aim-54 it took about 3 seconds until the missile is launched or fired. Unlike the Sparrow or Sidewinder which has less than 1 or 2 second time to launch or fire
i know i’m skipping over the joke but i’m pretty sure Tomcat isn’t a code word it’s more like a name of an aircraft. they aren’t code words they are known as brevity. dogfight is just the name for when aircraft go against each other. and i have no idea what a bird-sky is. also i’m not sure if you’re using the “-“ to pick out the animals or using it in coordination with grammar. but if you are using it according to grammar then it’s Tomcat and dogfights. i still have no idea what a bird-sky is. edit: i’m just informing please don’t execute me publicly.
@@wanted556 Grumman had the habit of naming their naval fighters as 'Cats. The F-14 tomcat was probably named after Admiral Tom Collory who handled its development. Because of his first name the plane was nicknamed "Tom's Cat" long before the official name was given.
Same dude, I especially loved it in ace combat 7 because of how aggressive you could be with it. Even today the F-14 surprises me with what you can do with it in the game.
@@Mcdouble123 well I'd hope so they are the most expensive and highest performance best air to air stealth fighters ever made....everyone loves them except our enemies and our budget. I was talking about my all time favorite plane as a kid as far as looks, nostalgic, ect. Not that I thought it was the best ever but just my personal favorite
One of Dad's buddies, Johnny, was a pilot for the U.S. Navy. Johnny told the insane story about how he lost his leg. His F-18 fighter jet was hit, the engines shut down and the jet was ablaze. After a few minutes of free-fall, the jet crashed into the ocean. He tried to use his ejector seat, but it didn't go off right. So, as the cockpit was filling with smoke and water, Johnny opened the shield and bailed. After a few minutes, the F-18 sank. Johnny only suffered minor injuries. Oh, and his right leg was all kinds of *destroyed.* His tibia and fibula were both broken, uh, shattered and sticking out of his calf. You know, nothing too severe. The crew on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (the aircraft carrier he was stationed on) spent three hours trying to find him. And by the time the rescue helicopters found Johnny, he was floating there using a tail fin as a makeshift raft and he had used his belt as a tourniquet. Johnny's leg was amputated, he was fitted for and given a prosthetic leg, discharged with benefits, and was sent home. This dude is nothing short of lucky.
Wow I'm very impressed that this F-14 video included mention of Iranian air victories instead of pretending that they don't have any like every other F-14 video I have seen. Also impressed at the mention of the US response of destroying all the F-14 spare parts because of this, well done! Maybe could have mentioned that Iran is making its own spare parts now, but this is fine.
That's why it should be called Persian cat rather than Tomcat given how Iran is the most successfull F14 users, and Jalil Zandi the real life Maverick from Topgun.
fun fact: the F14 was so advanced at the time that the older ship's radar couldn't identify the F14, some time in the Iraqi-Iran War, one of the older ships in the US navy shot down what they think is a Iran F14, but in fact it an Iranair Airbus A300, (Iranair flight 655)
@@alirezaamini1303 I mean can't be worse than Iran shooting down their own civilian aircraft, thinking it was a US aircraft after that drone strike in Iraq a couple years ago. (Then gunning down their own citizens when they protested the action)
@Proto-wolf the protogen Furry i might be looking at the wrong time, I see a twin engine. Oh yeah, I looked back, that’s an f-18,. Hey again, another edit. I mistook the rudder for the small gap in between the f-18s engines. My bad!
The F-14 was designed at a launch platform for the AIM-54. This long range air to air missile which would down anti-ship missile launching aircraft before they could close to launch.
YES! I said to my parents was gonna join the Navy bc of the F-14, but when they decommissioned it i switched to wanting to join the USAF. Only the Tomcat will change my mind.
@@bryandodson4101 if you dont know already there is a summer sale going on, most of everything they have is half off, also free to play for all of their modules for 2 weeks. You can try the tomcat and buy it at half price too
The F-14 is still the best carrier fighter of the modern era. The only problem with it is that it was a maintenance queen. As far as what it could do though, it was unrivaled. The carrier groups still miss it too, neither the FA-18 or F-35 has it's long legs or intercept speed.
@@Elthenar In terms of dogfight capabilities, the legacy Hornet was probably superior. Particularly the ability to point the nose at high alpha was and is still today quite impressive, the low speed performances were comparable and the t/w ratio was better (in comparison with F-14A). Still, the Tomcat is faster, accelerates better and has a bigger range. But another problem comes with the so-called definitive weapon of the F-14: the AIM-54 Phoenix. That missile was kinda a failure. Public demonstrations were abundandly adomesticated and the weapon was in reality so below expectations that, in training, aggressors with F-15 and F-16 quickly realized that the better tactic against a Phoenix launch was... to ignore it.
@@jg3000 in wvr tomcat was better it has more maneuverablity and iran recently said that it even has more maneuverablity then the new russian su-35 reason why they didnt buy it and said that they might reverse engineering the tomcat and super modernize it
let's ignore the fact that every american carrier in this video is backwards, and sideways at the same time. (and the F-111 tried to land from the wrong side) also, why no mention of RIOs? They literally do everything but fly the plane. They're incredibly important in the F-14s development and operation.
@@Viper31300 what radar patterns are you talking about! The RIO has a lot of controls that the pilot does, the RIO operates most air to ground ordinance from the back and basically has to set up some radar settings. Not sure what you mean
FYI, the final fight scene is based on O'Hare's MoH in WWII -- the same guy that the Chicago airport is named after. In WWII, the ships company mobbed O'Hare's plane -- same as the Hollywood script. Fiction is imitating history. O'Hare, single-handedly, shot down SIX Bettys. The last one was on its terminal run to destroy O'Hare's carrier. It's captain insisted up the Medal of Honor the moment that Betty splashed. Otherwise, it would've been a long swim back to California.
1:56 the F-14 can "change the shape of its wings... avoiding the pitfalls of the F-111"... um... the F-111 also does that. Both the F-14 and the F-111 have the same type of variable geometry wing.
The way the wings fold mid flight is so cool. And it’s one of my favorites because any time I’m using it in video games I constantly make top gun references.
Top Gun was my first movie. I just brought my daughter to her first movie. The movie I brought her to is a movie that I have been waiting my entire life to see.
Yeah. I honestly love the American military, and it gets me hyped up. But this “show” just lies so much that I don’t that same rush of lead and beer through my veins. Don’t rely on this “info show,” because it only spreads unresearched nonsense
The Tomcat had a lot of engine troubles until the D model and its wing box (and the aircraft itself) required a lot of maintenance per flight hour. Great plane for the time and will forever be immortalized by Top Gun, but definitely not the best ever.
The best of all time always changes. When the Tomcat was out it was the best of its time. But eventually over time it lost its crown and was replaced with a new king.
I was out there at sea with the Kennedy during that engagement. That line of death was a test run for us but as a scared 18yr old kid sending out the comms to national command authority it was "one of the most interesting" days of my life.
I was in the Navy when we decommissioned the F14. Growing up with Top gun and having F14s as a toy as a kid, it was a sad day when they were decommissioned.
I clicked on the video, paused at 0:00, came to the comments just to correct the title and will now click on the TH-cam button on the top left of my screen and continue my search for a lovely video to watch. f15* Thanks.
The f-14 can carry a total of 6 aim-54s, one on each wing pylon with four on the belly mounts. But it was more commonly outfitted with 4 aim-54 on the belly with 1 aim-7 and 1 aim-9 on each of the 2 wing pylons or the load-out that was mentioned in the video.
Used to work right outside of NAS Oceana in the mid 90"s. Saw many F14 touch and gos. One day was outside and there was an F14 putting on an aerial show. Never saw tighter, high g turns in my life. You have no idea how manuevarble this brut is. Nasty plane.
@@jamescross6109 They did. He was both. His father's call sign was "Hammer" but they called Harm "Poppy" or "Pappy", when he first went back to flying with a squadron. I don't remember which mission it was, but eventually they gave him his father's call sign. It's been a minute since I binged the series. A couple of years. Looks like it's time to go back!
The F-111B was also a swing wing fighter, also you didn't mention that the AIM-54 came first,not the F-14 Also: The F-14 could carry 6 phoenix missiles, but it was not practical.
Carrying 6 phoenix missiles was very practical if the target was waves of long range bombers coming around England from the Soviet union and entering the North Atlantic to fire multiple cruise missiles at ships. Didn't you ever read Red Storm Rising? :D
The F-111 Ardvark was a joint project from the beginning. The Navy backed out of it after realizing that it will not meet their needs while the Air Force only kept it as a fighter-bomber. Also, that range of 100NM for the Aim-54 is under perfect circumstances. Realistically, they have a range of ~40NM against maneuvering targets even when still at high-alt Now regarding the 1989 Gulf of Sidra incident. The F-14's were never above the migs before missiles were shot. The F-14's were at 5000 feet and the Mig's were at 9000 feet with their track radars turned off. The F-14's never dove to evade anything as the migs could never see them on their radar scope to begin with. Additionally, the F-14's never got direct authorization from the battle group commander to shoot even though the pair tried to contact the commander by using the phrase "Alpha Bravo" over coms. The RIO of one of the F-14's was the first to actually shoot without confirming with the pilot (which is unusual). The second Mig-23 was also taken down by an Aim-9 Sidewinder (that bit was left out) Lastly, the F-14 was not scrapped just because we didn't want Iran to get spare parts for fear of fighting it. The F-14 was taken off the fleet roster for many reasons. Some of those reasons include a lack of need for a true heavy interceptor because of the fall of the USSR, the cost of maintenance, the lack of multi-role ability, and technology catching up with it given how the Super Hornet program was going. Iran not getting parts was very low on the Navy's priority list.
Hello Infographics. Thanks for another great show. The Tomcat could actually carry 6 Phoenix missiles in its pure fleet defense loadout. Four under its belly and 2 on its cheek stations. If the aircrew were going to be hunting TU-95 bombers it was easily the best loadout. On Nov. 21st 1973 an F-14 tested its 6 Phoenix loadout against 6 drones, testing both the missile and its radar maximum capabilities. I saw the 6 Phoenix loadout more than once on deployments on the Kitty Hawk and the Carl Vinson between 1995 and 1999. It was an unusual loadout, and was almost too heavy to recover on the older carriers, but it could be done.
Have there been better fighters....sure.....but being a kid watching these things......and when those wings go back into the swept position.......goose bumps!
The first time I saw the awesome F-14s in a movie was The Final Countdown where the USS Nimitz went back to December 6, 1941 and shot down 2 Japanese Zeros.
The F-14 Tomcat is the first of the 4th.-generation fighters. I was looking forward to seeing a new missile to replace the AIM-54 Phoenix. It would be smaller, with the F-14 able to carry either eight or ten missiles, but with longer range, having AMRAAM technology. Unfortunately, it’s still active in the Iranian Air Force.
We never should have reduced our military budget so much! We could still use the F-14D(super tomcat 21 upgrade) along with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets instead of heading to the scrap yard! What really ticks me off is if we didn't sell F-14's to Iran we wouldn't have had to scrap them!
Before you get too ticked off you should know that Grumman asked iran to buy the f-14 because company was going bankrupt and iran saved them from that .
The F-14 was a fascinating plane and a wonderful piece of design. Me just likes the F-15 a bit more in the 90's. Nowadays, just when everybody seems to be just shouting out 'Stealth, Stealth!' I'm looking at 4th Gen. Fighter a think to myself 'THAT'S what aerodynamic design was at it's best. The F-15 Strike Eagle, MiG 29, Typhoon, Rafale, Sukhoi SU-27 to 35, even the Tornado.... great machines with so much character. The 5th Gen. things are just so close to another (optical)... it's like car in the beginning of wind-tunnel based shape... looked almost identical... I think I don't like stealth very much. I even think it will be obsolete in 10-15 years when radar technicals are so much improved... You always just need to know, WHAT you are searching for ;)
As a Brit who usually laughs at these kind of videos hyping up American equipment I can who heartily say I think the F14 was the most fearsome fighter/interceptor of its time
@@yeaitsmeconner9964 well yes but when Americans say the f15 is the best fighter ever it makes me laugh. Plus the raf doesn’t use that many American aircraft, only the Hercules, globe master, chinook, sentry, sentinel, shadow, rivet joint, lightning 2, Texan, griffon, Poseidon, wedgetail, reaper and protector. It’s not that many.
@@SAMPMods is that something to be proud of ? Some idiot like Sadam started the war, another idiot like Khomeyni which could have ended it in 6 months using the its massive airforce made the war last 8 years to save its regime! Innocent ppl died from political games and you’re here saying 2 mill died and you’re proud of! FYI, both sides combined lost 500k! Get your numbers straight!
@@SAMPMods Not true, only 500k soldiers were killed total. You shouldn't believe any stats your country put out, it's all propoganda. I bet you believe Kuwait attacked first don't you? Want to compare stats on that war?
It's not that impressive of an aircraft in itself, the mig 23 had variable geometry. it's the fact that it was more than competent operating from a carrier. Usually they lag behind land based aircraft significantly.
The F-14 and F-15 are variations on a joint fighter-attack design - spearheaded by a design group at Langley AFB (now Joint Base Langley-Eustis), this series was called LFAX. The LFAX-4 design was a twin-tailed, twin-engined, swing-wing design that Grumman used almost unaltered for the F-14. The Air Force held a design competition between two LFAX-8 designs (Boeing and McDonnell Douglas provided these) and two LFAX-9 designs (Fairchild Republic and Rockwell International provided these), and in the end, the McDonnell Douglas LFAX-8 design won out, becoming the F-15.
There will never be another iconic weapon of war like the F-14 Tomcat. This airplane was a valuable tool for the top pilots in the Navy, to prepare for any kind of complicated combat. The folding wings gave it amazing menuverability, coupled along with high-speed. There will never be another like it. The Air Force's F-15 Strike Eagle also is another awesome airplane that is combat ready, and proves it's point.
I got to see the F-14's and F-18's up close and the Tomcats was great aircraft for their time and they kept their crews and ships safe in the process. It must have been difficult to destroy the aircraft in the end, but it had to be done to protect parts from ending up in enemy hands.
Back in 88/87 when I was around 10 I purchased a Super Top trumps card pack..Mach 3. It made me fall in love with fighter jets (hadn’t watched Top Gun at that point)!!!
I was raised on Miramar and seen F14s and F18s in person. There is no aircraft I’ve ever seen that can compare in terms of raw power and stunning performance. I’ve seen them outmaneuver F18s and climb in a straight vertical and climb so high you can’t even see them in minutes. I’ve also seen the air frames stripped and seen them pushed well beyond the operational capacity. Where most air frames would buckle. I’ve seen them fight to get panels off because the air frame itself physically bent in ways that would deadline other aircraft. They are maintenance intensive, but there is no aircraft in naval service that pilots trusted more. They were the security of carrier groups, and land bases alike. I have also seen them carry missiles that virtually no other aircraft could in the US arsenal. They are impressive and terrifying at the same time and in my opinion never should have been retired.
I got to see the Tomcat fly at the Cleveland airshow in 1988. It was by far the star of the show. The Harrier I think would've been in second place. The thing that impressed me the most was when the Tomcat did a low highspeed pass. You could literally feel the power in your chest as it went by. So glad I got to see one in flight real life. Probably the coolest thing I've ever experienced to this day.
It was so cool variable wing geometry was incorporated into the Incom T-65 X-Wing, even though variable geometry wings don't make sense on a spacecraft. Okay so nowadays people say the wings aren't for lift, they're for heat dissipation, which is a real problem in outer space.
F14 Tomcat: The most visually stunning fighter ever built.
True
Nah that's the F-22
But you have to sweep your wings to go supersonic
f4 phantom, sepecat Jaguar, and f22 be like:
P51 or P47 in my opinion
F-14 Tomcat: Best fighter ever?
*Top Gun anthem starts playing*
Danger zone
exactly what I was thinking!
*Theme to JAG plays*
" ... Fighter Squadron, VF-51 ... 1978-1980 .... 1979, Particated during an Extended 'WESPAC' ... Deployed to Indian Ocean, in Response to a 'Hostage Situation', in Iran ... Mission ? ... On-going Ship Observation and Continual 'Air Ops', Off the Coast of Iran, ... Stationed, Aboard the War-Seasoned - U.S.S. 🐈 Kitty Hawk ... Very, Proud, to Have Served in the U.S. Navy ... 'Achors, Aweigh , m' Boyz !!"
Jeez. The number of times I watched that on VHS as a kid...
Libya: Shoots missiles at Tomcats.
Tomcats: So you have chosen death.
Lol
Especially since the SU-22 is a ground attack jet.
US Navy: "Omae wa mou shindeiru."
Libya: "Nani?!"
SWEET LORD OF THE RINGS REFERENCE DUDE
@@ThatTempesTGuy ive never watched lord of the rings lol
F-14: My plane has a gun
A-10: My gun has a plane
Yes
well yes, but actually yes
The most Orkish weaponry US ever made.
Thats lit
LOL
I was in a F14 Tomcat squadron at NAS Miramar called VF24 Fighting Renegades when I was in the US Navy. I am impressed by it as a ground crew person, aka Plane Captain.
Thank you for your service!
I was with VF-213, NAS Miramar, Hanger 4, 94'-97'
@@brianrandol Thank you for your service! Men and women like you and that other poster are the reason my son, daughter, wife and I can sleep soundly tonight.
a true top gun character 👏
well u were in top gun (not the movie)
I'm probably an adult like everyone else but seeing a military plane flying got me excited af like a kid
lol ikr
Me too but he doesn't know anything about most of these things except costs
How can you say your probably an adult, wouldn’t you know what you are
Yep i can relate to that😂
Probably an adult????
"Negative Ghost Rider, the patten is full"
Marvick: _does fly-by anyways_
SKKJustin
-like a boss-
Marvik?
@@theverminator8048 if top gun was a Scandinavian movie
F-14 Tomcat's designer is a genius.
wonder if they would make a modern one with stealth tech and a sleeker design
@@rogueshadow4960 Super tomcat
@@rogueshadow4960 there was an idia, F21 14 but it was scrapped, since the americans said it was expensive..it couldve been a better replacement than the super hornet. Today the Super hornet is too slow and its basicly a sitting duck in BVR..it can get kills, its a formidable multi role aircraft, but against modern easter tech, i dont think it will do that good.
Variable geometry aircraft were the fashion of the day. See the F-111.
@@capt-rex2894 there’s no point in making a new f14 when the f35 was already in development. Super hornets as well as F35C fighters is better then just the F14. Without the hornet the navy might still be using A7 Corsair’s anyways.
Also, the F-111 also had folding wings. The F-14s folding wings were not what made it better than the F-111.
I mean he also explained how the F111 was unstable
@@lw3894 I know, but he acts as if the F-111 does not have folding wings. In addition, instability is not automatically a bad thing. It is if you don't have fly by wire, but fly by wire controls combined with instability made the F-16 one of the most maneuverable fighters when it first came out.
Well the F-111 wasn’t exactly designed to be a fighter like the tomcat.
The F111 was an attack aircraft not a fighter 🤤 and it still had a longer service life than the F14.
@@bobr7380 kharma lol
Tomcat: My engines are superior to anything the Soviets have!
Pilots: Then can I have both engines working properly at takeoff/landing?
Tomcat: Best I can do is one.
Those issues all got sorted out.
@@flyinryan1459 never heard of the later varients have u
@@bruh_moment5100 no I have, but in the context of this comment, the early models DID have this issue, neither of us are wrong
If it was still better than Soviet engines, that means they were 💩
*cough* compressor stalls that cause spin outs *cough*
I heard from an actual former F-14 pilot, when you fire an Aim-54 it took about 3 seconds until the missile is launched or fired. Unlike the Sparrow or Sidewinder which has less than 1 or 2 second time to launch or fire
Yeah that’s called the missile arming time
yeah that happens when I fire a missile in DCS
As having worked on these and being on the last carrier to carry them, the answer is Yes.
Lucky you
is anything they mentioned wrong?
@@trevon5653 always is, but I never did my research on the f-14. But there is likely bent truth.
@@trevon5653 No, which is one of the reasons why I watched it to see if there was something misleading...but pretty spot on.
@@bryandodson4101 naw pretty spot on.
*Tom-cat aircraft engaging in dog-fights in the bird-sky . Man the military code words sure like animals . How wholesome*
i know i’m skipping over the joke but i’m pretty sure Tomcat isn’t a code word it’s more like a name of an aircraft.
they aren’t code words they are known as brevity.
dogfight is just the name for when aircraft go against each other.
and i have no idea what a bird-sky is.
also i’m not sure if you’re using the “-“ to pick out the animals or using it in coordination with grammar.
but if you are using it according to grammar then it’s Tomcat and dogfights.
i still have no idea what a bird-sky is.
edit: i’m just informing please don’t execute me publicly.
@@thedoctor6560 *Lines up shot*
Edit: I'm joking around btw
@@thedoctor6560 bring the ropes.
Im joking pls dont take it seriously.
A lot of Grumman made fighter aircraft were given "cat" names - Wildcat, Hellcat, Tigercat, Bearcat, Panther, Cougar, Tiger and finally the Tomcat.
@@wanted556
Grumman had the habit of naming their naval fighters as 'Cats.
The F-14 tomcat was probably named after Admiral Tom Collory who handled its development. Because of his first name the plane was nicknamed "Tom's Cat" long before the official name was given.
Not everyone remembers the Razgriz, but those who do remember their importance
The flagship of the Razgriz Squadron: F-14
Ace Combat 5, my all time favorite of the Ace Combat series
@@RazgrizF14 AC 5 is best, But AC7 is a close 2nd
@@Riv_Dyl97 agreed
@@RazgrizF14 AC5 is a better story, but 7 has more replayability imo.
@@Riv_Dyl97 I found the replayability of both to be equal, but I find it rare for any flying type game to have no or little replayability……lol
Probably the most beautiful fighter ever created.
Negative! That would be the F-4 phantom ll
Lol
@@willisix2554 its a brick
@@nevize6660 While that may be true it is a BEAUTIFUL brick!
@@willisix2554 it is beautiful ill give you that :D
In Ace Combat the F14 is always the first plane I bought, not as fast as any of the SU 30s but overall versatile
Me love them so much in the siries..
Same dude, I especially loved it in ace combat 7 because of how aggressive you could be with it. Even today the F-14 surprises me with what you can do with it in the game.
In AC7 I went with the Soviet/Russian path because I didn’t know I could get the experimental jets if I went with the American path…
I dont think it was ever my first plane to buy in those games but it was always in my shopping list lol
Ah yes, Blaze's official aircraft
My all time favorite fighter jet. I remember having a poster of a F-14 on my wall as a kid
They are my favorite too!
oof I like raptors :D
@@Mcdouble123 well I'd hope so they are the most expensive and highest performance best air to air stealth fighters ever made....everyone loves them except our enemies and our budget.
I was talking about my all time favorite plane as a kid as far as looks, nostalgic, ect. Not that I thought it was the best ever but just my personal favorite
@@Kuwaitisnot_adeployment “and our budget” made me chuckle a little
Nice.
The F-111F matured to be the best low level bomber we’ve ever had.
Idk, the A-6 Intruder was pretty good
@@yakkothedrillinstructor9052 the ground following radar of the f111 was super nice I have seen interviews of people hitting tree tops at Mach 1.1-1.2
One of Dad's buddies, Johnny, was a pilot for the U.S. Navy. Johnny told the insane story about how he lost his leg. His F-18 fighter jet was hit, the engines shut down and the jet was ablaze. After a few minutes of free-fall, the jet crashed into the ocean. He tried to use his ejector seat, but it didn't go off right. So, as the cockpit was filling with smoke and water, Johnny opened the shield and bailed. After a few minutes, the F-18 sank. Johnny only suffered minor injuries. Oh, and his right leg was all kinds of *destroyed.* His tibia and fibula were both broken, uh, shattered and sticking out of his calf. You know, nothing too severe. The crew on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (the aircraft carrier he was stationed on) spent three hours trying to find him. And by the time the rescue helicopters found Johnny, he was floating there using a tail fin as a makeshift raft and he had used his belt as a tourniquet. Johnny's leg was amputated, he was fitted for and given a prosthetic leg, discharged with benefits, and was sent home. This dude is nothing short of lucky.
Okay, but what in the world does this have to do with a video about the F-14?
@@conman1395military stuff
Wow I'm very impressed that this F-14 video included mention of Iranian air victories instead of pretending that they don't have any like every other F-14 video I have seen. Also impressed at the mention of the US response of destroying all the F-14 spare parts because of this, well done! Maybe could have mentioned that Iran is making its own spare parts now, but this is fine.
That's why it should be called Persian cat rather than Tomcat given how Iran is the most successfull F14 users, and Jalil Zandi the real life Maverick from Topgun.
Growing up I wanted to be Maverick from Top Gun and fly a F-14 inverted and flip off an enemy pilot.
lol
YES
@@space_designs it would be a more modern Tomcat, such as the proposed F-14D Super Tomcat by Grumman
@@space_designs yeah!😄
F in the chat for goose
Everyone: straight to the comments
NWA: Straight outta Compton
You said it straight.
I came straight to the comments for the triggered russians ranting about how the migs/su's are superior lol
Nailed it.
Yeah, well I can't afford the phone data to watch the video.
fun fact: the F14 was so advanced at the time that the older ship's radar couldn't identify the F14, some time in the Iraqi-Iran War, one of the older ships in the US navy shot down what they think is a Iran F14, but in fact it an Iranair Airbus A300, (Iranair flight 655)
yep 290 civilians died and the admiral of that ship got some medal of honor by usa
@@alirezaamini1303
I mean can't be worse than Iran shooting down their own civilian aircraft, thinking it was a US aircraft after that drone strike in Iraq a couple years ago. (Then gunning down their own citizens when they protested the action)
it couldn’t even complete its intended purpose LOL
it's not a fun fact. It's sad
Revvin' up your engine
Listen to her howlin' roar
Metal under tension
Beggin' you to touch and go
Highway...to the...DANGER ZONE!!!
It was the fighter plane I usually always draw when I was a kid. I dream to pilot one of them. It was such an iconic beauty.
u can fly it in DCS . with VR is awesome
It was a dream for boys during that era especially after watching Top Gun. 😜
@@ich1978 top gun is the best movie made🤝😂
9:09 Funny, the F-14 became the F-16
F-18, but yeah. This show is kind of dumb
@Proto-wolf the protogen Furry i might be looking at the wrong time, I see a twin engine. Oh yeah, I looked back, that’s an f-18,. Hey again, another edit. I mistook the rudder for the small gap in between the f-18s engines. My bad!
@@bryandodson4101 Sorry but those are F-16's. Note the single tail on each aircraft.
"Danger Zone intensifies"
Blazer?
@@plasticfoods5069 Price?
@@blaazer9473 that's your name now riley?
@Haku Yuki the need, for speed!
The F-14 was designed at a launch platform for the AIM-54. This long range air to air missile which would down anti-ship missile launching aircraft before they could close to launch.
The only time Infographics has ever been correct: calling the F-14 the greatest fighter ever built
It’s still wrong but right at the same time
@@specialman6004 🧢
It was the best fighter plane at the time, prove me me wrong.
@@specialman6004 lemme travel to a couple of parallel universes real quick…
@@specialman6004
How many did you see?
Me: Fourteen million, six hundred and five.
How many did we win?
Me: None.
To me, the F14 Tomcat is like a girl whom I had a huge crush on forever. Nothing like that would have been and will ever be.
YES! I said to my parents was gonna join the Navy bc of the F-14, but when they decommissioned it i switched to wanting to join the USAF. Only the Tomcat will change my mind.
This was always my favorite plane growing up, still is
Mine too
you can fly F14A and B in DCS
@@shepherdlavellen3301 I would play dcs everyday, but sadly, top tier sims like that just MILK money outta you.
@@bryandodson4101 wait until discount seasons to purchase flight modules, low fidelity modules are much cheaper than high fidelity ones
@@bryandodson4101 if you dont know already there is a summer sale going on, most of everything they have is half off, also free to play for all of their modules for 2 weeks. You can try the tomcat and buy it at half price too
Now someone will come and say "To the early squad reading this..."
I would recommend looking up Ward Carroll, He knew the pilots and Reos involved in the 81' & 89' incidents. He has a great video about it.
I've held a flame for the Tomcat for 25 years. I wouldnt say shes the best fighter aircraft of all time but a top tier Interceptor to be sure.
The F-14 is still the best carrier fighter of the modern era. The only problem with it is that it was a maintenance queen. As far as what it could do though, it was unrivaled. The carrier groups still miss it too, neither the FA-18 or F-35 has it's long legs or intercept speed.
@@Elthenar I agree the tomcat would absolutely body the hornet and lightning II. It was a trail blazer in aviation technology for sure
@@Elthenar In terms of dogfight capabilities, the legacy Hornet was probably superior. Particularly the ability to point the nose at high alpha was and is still today quite impressive, the low speed performances were comparable and the t/w ratio was better (in comparison with F-14A). Still, the Tomcat is faster, accelerates better and has a bigger range. But another problem comes with the so-called definitive weapon of the F-14: the AIM-54 Phoenix. That missile was kinda a failure. Public demonstrations were abundandly adomesticated and the weapon was in reality so below expectations that, in training, aggressors with F-15 and F-16 quickly realized that the better tactic against a Phoenix launch was... to ignore it.
the big problem with the f-14 was it’s folding wings because when the enemy can tell how fast/slow the plane is going
the wings are a gift and a curse
*F-15 Eagle has entered the chat*
Tomcat was better. Maybe WVR Eagle was better. But Tomcat was better.
Tomcat looked cooler
@@jg3000 not really the F-15 is the UNDISPUTED, UNTIED, UNDEFEATED, HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WOOOOOOOOORLD!
@@willisix2554 wrong the tomcat has beat it in every category
@@jg3000 in wvr tomcat was better it has more maneuverablity and iran recently said that it even has more maneuverablity then the new russian su-35 reason why they didnt buy it and said that they might reverse engineering the tomcat and super modernize it
I really wish they would've kept a few air worthy for airshows and such
let's ignore the fact that every american carrier in this video is backwards, and sideways at the same time. (and the F-111 tried to land from the wrong side) also, why no mention of RIOs? They literally do everything but fly the plane. They're incredibly important in the F-14s development and operation.
RIOS don’t fire weapons. They interpret radar patterns and navigate and relay info to the pilot. That argument is dull
@@Viper31300 what radar patterns are you talking about! The RIO has a lot of controls that the pilot does, the RIO operates most air to ground ordinance from the back and basically has to set up some radar settings. Not sure what you mean
@@Viper31300 anything that provides less of a hassle for the pilot is good, RIOs are grear
@@Viper31300 The RIO was able to fire Phoenix’s.
“Launch Maverick on alert 5!”
“Get a bearing on Hollywood and Wolfeman! And launch a rescue helicopter immediately!!”
FYI, the final fight scene is based on O'Hare's MoH in WWII -- the same guy that the Chicago airport is named after. In WWII, the ships company mobbed O'Hare's plane -- same as the Hollywood script. Fiction is imitating history. O'Hare, single-handedly, shot down SIX Bettys. The last one was on its terminal run to destroy O'Hare's carrier. It's captain insisted up the Medal of Honor the moment that Betty splashed. Otherwise, it would've been a long swim back to California.
@@davidhimmelsbach557 but still I love the MIG Dead Ahead song when Tom Cruise about to launch the f-14 off the carrier.
1:56 the F-14 can "change the shape of its wings... avoiding the pitfalls of the F-111"... um... the F-111 also does that. Both the F-14 and the F-111 have the same type of variable geometry wing.
You can't talk about F14 without mentioning Iranian pilots hunting migs , super etandards and F1 mirages.
Thank you for doing this, the tomcat is my favorite jet ever!
P996 laser is my favorite
Still no Sea harrier FRS1...
No one loved Tomcats more than Shah 😂😂 . buying 80 , 14 million $ each.
Top gun
I don't know about the "best" but it was definitely the coolest looking and got even more cool after the Top gun movie.
No such thing as an overall best.
....just the best at its intended mission, vs other planes of the same intended mission
The way the wings fold mid flight is so cool. And it’s one of my favorites because any time I’m using it in video games I constantly make top gun references.
Top Gun was my first movie. I just brought my daughter to her first movie. The movie I brought her to is a movie that I have been waiting my entire life to see.
I remember that. And i always loved the Tom Cat . 'Anytime Baby'
I have that patch!
I love the f-14, but get your facts straight. Everything from the missile count to the reason it was built is incorrect
@Goochrider that’s every single video this channel makes. And us commenting just makes it worse.
Yeah. I honestly love the American military, and it gets me hyped up. But this “show” just lies so much that I don’t that same rush of lead and beer through my veins. Don’t rely on this “info show,” because it only spreads unresearched nonsense
@@bryandodson4101 look up extra history. You will enjoy there videos, also the operations room. They do actual research
The Tomcat had a lot of engine troubles until the D model and its wing box (and the aircraft itself) required a lot of maintenance per flight hour. Great plane for the time and will forever be immortalized by Top Gun, but definitely not the best ever.
The F14 had new engines (GE F110) with the B version.
It was made without compromise.
The biggest issue was cost.
The best of all time always changes. When the Tomcat was out it was the best of its time. But eventually over time it lost its crown and was replaced with a new king.
The GOAT! ❤️
My dad was a F 14 mechanic and worked on the carriers in the early 70s!
F-15: “hold my engine fuel”
So we're not even going to talk about their bitch'n Battroid mode, huh?
Not until an alien spaceship crash lands on a deserted island!
Don't say the b-word, it's mysoginistic.
@@joshuahart5651 omfg like seriously tho don’t use commas tho like that’s totally like kind of a woman thing to do not even going to ngl lolololol
The F 14 was one of the best aircraft and deserved its place in the top naval fighters in the world
👇 who agrees?
I was out there at sea with the Kennedy during that engagement. That line of death was a test run for us but as a scared 18yr old kid sending out the comms to national command authority it was "one of the most interesting" days of my life.
I was in the Navy when we decommissioned the F14. Growing up with Top gun and having F14s as a toy as a kid, it was a sad day when they were decommissioned.
I clicked on the video, paused at 0:00, came to the comments just to correct the title and will now click on the TH-cam button on the top left of my screen and continue my search for a lovely video to watch. f15* Thanks.
Tomcat F14: A plane that is a Rocket Missle carrying big rocket Missles.
No thats the f-104
F104
The f-14 can carry a total of 6 aim-54s, one on each wing pylon with four on the belly mounts. But it was more commonly outfitted with 4 aim-54 on the belly with 1 aim-7 and 1 aim-9 on each of the 2 wing pylons or the load-out that was mentioned in the video.
Everybody gangsta till the Mig 28 and F-14 start fighting
u mean f5
This happened in iran and iraq
They dint get the top gun joke 😂
I grew up in Fallon nv in the 80s on the base and used to love watching pairs of them taking off.
Used to work right outside of NAS Oceana in the mid 90"s. Saw many F14 touch and gos. One day was outside and there was an F14 putting on an aerial show. Never saw tighter, high g turns in my life. You have no idea how manuevarble this brut is. Nasty plane.
The Tomcat is the best. Captain Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr would most definitely agree.
Jag! man I miss that show.
I thought his call sign was Pappy
@@kyungkim2446 It was in the later seasons.
@@PrinceofDrill I thought they let him take Hammer as a call sign later on
@@jamescross6109 They did. He was both. His father's call sign was "Hammer" but they called Harm "Poppy" or "Pappy", when he first went back to flying with a squadron. I don't remember which mission it was, but eventually they gave him his father's call sign. It's been a minute since I binged the series. A couple of years. Looks like it's time to go back!
The F-111 also used the veriable wing design, and was quite capable in the tactical bomber role.
Thank you for this vid, I’m EXTREMELY into aviation and this stuff just fascinates me.
@BullWithInternetAccess sad bull moment :(
Hopefully sometime in the future we will have our first bull pilot :D
@BullWithInternetAccess indeed
You could always fly it in DCS World... both the F14A and F14B are modeled in their full glory for you to fly and dogfight with.
F-14 Tomcat and F-22 Raptor are my favorite aircrafts. I also really like F-14 because of Top Gun 1.
My favorite plane is the f14 thanks for making this vid
The F-111B was also a swing wing fighter, also you didn't mention that the AIM-54 came first,not the F-14
Also: The F-14 could carry 6 phoenix missiles, but it was not practical.
Carrying 6 phoenix missiles was very practical if the target was waves of long range bombers coming around England from the Soviet union and entering the North Atlantic to fire multiple cruise missiles at ships. Didn't you ever read Red Storm Rising? :D
F14A couldn't use them though
I love this plane, especially from the movie The Final Countdown. It also has a brief appearance in The Hunt For Red October.
The F-111 Ardvark was a joint project from the beginning. The Navy backed out of it after realizing that it will not meet their needs while the Air Force only kept it as a fighter-bomber.
Also, that range of 100NM for the Aim-54 is under perfect circumstances. Realistically, they have a range of ~40NM against maneuvering targets even when still at high-alt
Now regarding the 1989 Gulf of Sidra incident. The F-14's were never above the migs before missiles were shot. The F-14's were at 5000 feet and the Mig's were at 9000 feet with their track radars turned off. The F-14's never dove to evade anything as the migs could never see them on their radar scope to begin with. Additionally, the F-14's never got direct authorization from the battle group commander to shoot even though the pair tried to contact the commander by using the phrase "Alpha Bravo" over coms. The RIO of one of the F-14's was the first to actually shoot without confirming with the pilot (which is unusual). The second Mig-23 was also taken down by an Aim-9 Sidewinder (that bit was left out)
Lastly, the F-14 was not scrapped just because we didn't want Iran to get spare parts for fear of fighting it. The F-14 was taken off the fleet roster for many reasons. Some of those reasons include a lack of need for a true heavy interceptor because of the fall of the USSR, the cost of maintenance, the lack of multi-role ability, and technology catching up with it given how the Super Hornet program was going. Iran not getting parts was very low on the Navy's priority list.
Hello Infographics. Thanks for another great show. The Tomcat could actually carry 6 Phoenix missiles in its pure fleet defense loadout. Four under its belly and 2 on its cheek stations. If the aircrew were going to be hunting TU-95 bombers it was easily the best loadout. On Nov. 21st 1973 an F-14 tested its 6 Phoenix loadout against 6 drones, testing both the missile and its radar maximum capabilities. I saw the 6 Phoenix loadout more than once on deployments on the Kitty Hawk and the Carl Vinson between 1995 and 1999. It was an unusual loadout, and was almost too heavy to recover on the older carriers, but it could be done.
Have there been better fighters....sure.....but being a kid watching these things......and when those wings go back into the swept position.......goose bumps!
The first time I saw the awesome F-14s in a movie was The Final Countdown where the USS Nimitz went back to December 6, 1941 and shot down 2 Japanese Zeros.
Splash the Zero's I say again splash the Zero's
The F-14 Tomcat is the first of the 4th.-generation fighters. I was looking forward to seeing a new missile to replace the AIM-54 Phoenix. It would be smaller, with the F-14 able to carry either eight or ten missiles, but with longer range, having AMRAAM technology. Unfortunately, it’s still active in the Iranian Air Force.
AIM-260 (AIM-120 replacement) will be required to have longer range than the phoenix at IOC if that counts
@@johjoh9270 I’m probably behind on some things, I assumed there would be a new missile just for the Navy
We never should have reduced our military budget so much! We could still use the F-14D(super tomcat 21 upgrade) along with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets instead of heading to the scrap yard! What really ticks me off is if we didn't sell F-14's to Iran we wouldn't have had to scrap them!
You would see the F/A-18C as its contemporary as the Super Hornet was designed to fill the hole lost with the retirement of the F-14.
Before you get too ticked off you should know that Grumman asked iran to buy the f-14 because company was going bankrupt and iran saved them from that .
The F-14 is my all time favorite fighter. It spawned my love of aircraft which lead me to become an aircraft mechanic and pilot
F-14 is my favorite plane
Where my war thunder players at ?
Mee
Mee
Me
Su 27 with r 73
Meee
Ppl be like
Im going to wait for his Video whole day
You can also give your enemies the "bird" when doing a 4g inverted dive on this aircraft.
You can also progress from flying the tomcat to flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog s*!t out of Hong Kong.
The F-14 was a fascinating plane and a wonderful piece of design. Me just likes the F-15 a bit more in the 90's.
Nowadays, just when everybody seems to be just shouting out 'Stealth, Stealth!' I'm looking at 4th Gen. Fighter a think to myself 'THAT'S what aerodynamic design was at it's best. The F-15 Strike Eagle, MiG 29, Typhoon, Rafale, Sukhoi SU-27 to 35, even the Tornado.... great machines with so much character.
The 5th Gen. things are just so close to another (optical)... it's like car in the beginning of wind-tunnel based shape... looked almost identical...
I think I don't like stealth very much. I even think it will be obsolete in 10-15 years when radar technicals are so much improved... You always just need to know, WHAT you are searching for ;)
F-14: I have a gun that can fire hundreds of rounds in seconds
A-10: *Laughs in GAU-8 Vulcan 30MM Cannon*
f14 laughs in actually being able to dogfight
As a Brit who usually laughs at these kind of videos hyping up American equipment I can who heartily say I think the F14 was the most fearsome fighter/interceptor of its time
U do realize that Britain uses A LOT of American aircraft
@@yeaitsmeconner9964 well yes but when Americans say the f15 is the best fighter ever it makes me laugh. Plus the raf doesn’t use that many American aircraft, only the Hercules, globe master, chinook, sentry, sentinel, shadow, rivet joint, lightning 2, Texan, griffon, Poseidon, wedgetail, reaper and protector. It’s not that many.
@@TheDrummingWarrior yh, the F-15 isnt really the best anymore, id say it is either the F-35, F-22 (maybe the SU-57)
@@sporkinc4185 SU-57 is pretty much dogwater.
Best fighter ever, just look at how Iran destroyed Iraq’s airforce during the war
Plot twist: I'm from IRAQ in fact 2 million iranis got killed by the Iraqi military
@@SAMPMods is that something to be proud of ? Some idiot like Sadam started the war, another idiot like Khomeyni which could have ended it in 6 months using the its massive airforce made the war last 8 years to save its regime! Innocent ppl died from political games and you’re here saying 2 mill died and you’re proud of! FYI, both sides combined lost 500k! Get your numbers straight!
@@SAMPMods Not true, only 500k soldiers were killed total. You shouldn't believe any stats your country put out, it's all propoganda. I bet you believe Kuwait attacked first don't you? Want to compare stats on that war?
@@zumis1011 they think Iraq won the war too 😂😂
Hence why it should be called the Persian cat instead of Tomcat. Jalil Zandi is also the real life Maverick of Topgun.
It's not that impressive of an aircraft in itself, the mig 23 had variable geometry. it's the fact that it was more than competent operating from a carrier. Usually they lag behind land based aircraft significantly.
The F-14 and F-15 are variations on a joint fighter-attack design - spearheaded by a design group at Langley AFB (now Joint Base Langley-Eustis), this series was called LFAX. The LFAX-4 design was a twin-tailed, twin-engined, swing-wing design that Grumman used almost unaltered for the F-14. The Air Force held a design competition between two LFAX-8 designs (Boeing and McDonnell Douglas provided these) and two LFAX-9 designs (Fairchild Republic and Rockwell International provided these), and in the end, the McDonnell Douglas LFAX-8 design won out, becoming the F-15.
There will never be another iconic weapon of war like the F-14 Tomcat. This airplane was a valuable tool for the top pilots in the Navy, to prepare for any kind of complicated combat. The folding wings gave it amazing menuverability, coupled along with high-speed. There will never be another like it. The Air Force's F-15 Strike Eagle also is another awesome airplane that is combat ready, and proves it's point.
9:09 My question is, why do u put an F-16 when there is a top view of the MiG-23 and F-14 instead of an F-14
its like 3 am and i cant sleep i have a frickkin cold and allergy AND IT ITCHES
now i can content myself to watch somth
Eyyy 1 day apart same bro
@@papiayoori1244 its 12 am for me now lol and also my allergy gone
I got to see the F-14's and F-18's up close and the Tomcats was great aircraft for their time and they kept their crews and ships safe in the process. It must have been difficult to destroy the aircraft in the end, but it had to be done to protect parts from ending up in enemy hands.
The story of the development of the computer that controls the wings sweep angle is an interesting story.
Me: **Laughs in A-10 Thunderbolt**
Edit: This is supposed to be an irony joke
That’s attack aircraft
F14 would toast a a10 lol
laughs in Sopwith Camel
A does not equal F
@@1dirosa1 the F-14 wouldnt have enough ammo to sufficiently take down the A-10.
(sarcasm)
Back in 88/87 when I was around 10 I purchased a Super Top trumps card pack..Mach 3. It made me fall in love with fighter jets (hadn’t watched Top Gun at that point)!!!
It’s now proven to be the f-22 raptor because it’s fast,agile and can hold highly classified missiles
Talk to me goose
@@Gorslax haha
I feel the need, the need for speed! ...Take me home, or lose me forever!
Does anyone know why You Tube, is Highlighting my Comments? I don't even know what that means. 🤔 I have 71 replies, and I can't get at them! Help
I was raised on Miramar and seen F14s and F18s in person. There is no aircraft I’ve ever seen that can compare in terms of raw power and stunning performance. I’ve seen them outmaneuver F18s and climb in a straight vertical and climb so high you can’t even see them in minutes. I’ve also seen the air frames stripped and seen them pushed well beyond the operational capacity. Where most air frames would buckle. I’ve seen them fight to get panels off because the air frame itself physically bent in ways that would deadline other aircraft. They are maintenance intensive, but there is no aircraft in naval service that pilots trusted more. They were the security of carrier groups, and land bases alike. I have also seen them carry missiles that virtually no other aircraft could in the US arsenal. They are impressive and terrifying at the same time and in my opinion never should have been retired.
I got to see the Tomcat fly at the Cleveland airshow in 1988. It was by far the star of the show. The Harrier I think would've been in second place. The thing that impressed me the most was when the Tomcat did a low highspeed pass. You could literally feel the power in your chest as it went by. So glad I got to see one in flight real life. Probably the coolest thing I've ever experienced to this day.
My dad was in the navy on the John S. McCain and he escorted the Nimitz and saw many tomcats taking off and landing almost every day.
F22: Am I a joke to you?
Are we just going to ignore that the F-111 also had variable geometry wings?
The Tomcat could carry up to 6 AIM-54 Phoenix, not just 2.
It was so cool variable wing geometry was incorporated into the Incom T-65 X-Wing, even though variable geometry wings don't make sense on a spacecraft.
Okay so nowadays people say the wings aren't for lift, they're for heat dissipation, which is a real problem in outer space.