Editing Grumman F-14 Tomcat (section)

===United States===
[[File:F-14-vf-84.jpg|thumb|An F-14A of [[VF-84 (1955-95)|VF-84 Jolly Rogers]], in a 1970s color scheme, circa 1978]]

The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom II in U.S. Navy service starting in September 1974 with squadrons [[VF-1|VF-1 "Wolfpack"]] and [[VFA-2|VF-2 "Bounty Hunters"]] aboard {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}} and participated in the [[Operation Frequent Wind|American withdrawal from Saigon]]. The F-14 had its first kills in U.S. Navy service on 19 August 1981 over the [[Gulf of Sidra]] in what is known as the [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)|Gulf of Sidra incident]]. In that engagement, two F-14s from [[VFA-41|VF-41 Black Aces]] were engaged by two Libyan [[Sukhoi Su-17|Su-22 "Fitters"]]. The F-14s evaded the Libyan missile and returned fire, downing both Libyan aircraft with AIM-9L Sidewinders.<ref name="wapj7p745">Dorr 1991, pp. 74–75</ref> U.S. Navy F-14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on 4 January 1989, when two F-14s from [[VFA-32|VF-32]] shot down two Libyan [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23|MiG-23 "Floggers"]] over the Gulf of Sidra in a second [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)|Gulf of Sidra incident]].<ref name="wapj7p767">Dorr 1991, pp. 76–77</ref>

Its first sustained combat use was as a photo reconnaissance platform. The Tomcat was selected to inherit the reconnaissance mission upon the departure of the dedicated [[North American A-5 Vigilante|North American RA-5C Vigilante]] and [[Vought F-8 Crusader|Vought RF-8G Crusaders]] from the fleet. A large pod called the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was developed and fielded on the Tomcat in 1981. With the retirement of the last RF-8G Crusaders in 1982, TARPS F-14s became the U.S. Navy's primary tactical reconnaissance system.<ref>Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_fighters/f14_7.html "TARPS Pod for F-14."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124021654/http://joebaugher.com/navy_fighters/f14_7.html |date=24 November 2010}} ''F-14 Tomcat'', 13 February 2000. Retrieved: 6 May 2010.</ref> One of two Tomcat squadrons per airwing was designated as a TARPS unit and received 3 TARPS capable aircraft.<ref name="wapj9p57">Dorr 1991, p. 57</ref>

[[File:F-14 Tomcat VF-114 escorting TU-95 Bear.jpg|thumb|An F-14A from [[VF-114]] intercepting a Soviet [[Tupolev Tu-95|Tu-95RT]] "Bear-D" maritime reconnaissance aircraft.]]
While the Tomcat was being used by Iran in combat against Iraq in its intended air superiority mission in the early 1980s, the U.S. Navy found itself flying regular daily combat missions over Lebanon to photograph activity in the [[Bekaa Valley]]. At the time, the Tomcat had been thought too large and vulnerable to be used over land, but the need for imagery was so great that Tomcat aircrews developed high-speed medium altitude tactics to deal with considerable AAA and [[SA-7]] SAM threat in the Bekaa area. The first exposure of a Navy Tomcat to an [[S-75 Dvina|SA-2]] missile was over Somalia in April 1983 when a local battery was unaware of two Tomcats scheduled for a TARPS mission in a prelude to an upcoming international exercise in the vicinity of Berbera. An SA-2 was fired at the second Tomcat while conducting {{convert|10,000|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=on}} mapping profile at max conserve setting. The Tomcat aircrews spotted the missile launch and dove for the deck thereby evading it without damage. The unexpected demand for combat TARPS laid the way for high altitude sensors such as the KA-93 Long Range Optics (LOROP) to be rapidly procured for the Tomcat as well as an Expanded Chaff Adapter (ECA) to be incorporated in an AIM-54 Phoenix Rail. Commercial "fuzz buster" type radar detectors were also procured and mounted in pairs in the forward cockpit as a stop gap solution to detect SAM radars such as the SA-6. The ultimate solution was an upgrade to the ALR-67 then being developed, but it would not be ready until the advent of the F-14A+ later in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/04/29/Navy-using-fuzz-buster-radar-warning-devices/2670546667200/|title=Navy using 'fuzz-buster' radar warning devices|website=UPI|access-date=18 July 2020|archive-date=18 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718034852/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/04/29/Navy-using-fuzz-buster-radar-warning-devices/2670546667200/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Gypsy escortDN-ST-91-05966.jpg|thumb|upright|An F-14A of [[VF-32]] during [[Operation Desert Storm]] with a [[KC-135 Stratotanker]] and two [[EA-6B Prowler]]s in the background. |alt=Portrait photography of four aircraft overflying orange desert and almost-flat terrain; horizon is blurred. Leading is black aircraft, followed by two single-engine jet aircraft, the one closer to camera being refueled by leading jet via a stiff hose connecting the two. Closest jet to camera is pale gray, has two engines and vertical fins, flying with wings unswept.]]
The participation of the F-14 in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm consisted of Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and overland missions consisting of strike escort and reconnaissance. Until the waning days of Desert Storm, in-country air superiority was tasked to USAF F-15 Eagles due to the way the Air Tasking Orders (ATO) delegated primary overland CAP stations to the F-15. The governing Rules of Engagement (ROE) also dictated a strict Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) requirement when employing Beyond Visual Range weapons such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and particularly the AIM-54 Phoenix. This hampered the Tomcat from using its most powerful weapon. Furthermore, the powerful emissions from the AWG-9 radar are detectable at great range with a radar warning receiver. Iraqi fighters routinely retreated as soon as the Tomcats "lit them up" with the AWG-9.<ref name="gillcrest1">Gillcrest 1994, p. 168.</ref><ref name="snodgrassinterview">[http://www.simhq.com/_air/fixedwing_archive/Snodgrass.zip "Capt. Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, USN (Ret.) Interview by John Sponauer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222205828/http://simhq.com/_air/fixedwing_archive/Snodgrass.zip |date=22 December 2010}}. (30 August 2000). SimHQ. Retrieved: 26 November 2010.</ref> The U.S. Navy suffered its only F-14 loss from enemy action on 21 January 1991 when BuNo 161430, an F-14A upgraded to an F-14A+, from [[VFA-103|VF-103]] was shot down by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission near [[Al Asad]] airbase in Iraq. Both crew members survived ejection with the pilot being rescued by USAF Special Operation Forces and the RIO being captured by Iraqi troops as a POW until the end of the war.<ref>Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries21.html "F-14."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031101646/http://joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries21.html |date=31 October 2010}} ''U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps BuNos'', 30 September 2006. Retrieved: 6 May 2010.</ref> An aircraft from [[Fighter Squadron 1 (United States Navy)|VF-1]] also achieved the F-14's final kill in US service, a [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]] "Hip" helicopter, with an AIM-9 Sidewinder.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theaviationist.com/2016/02/06/f-14-shot-down-iraqi-mi-8/ |title=How A U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat Shot Down An Iraqi Mi-8 Hip Helicopter During Operation Desert Storm |work=The Aviationist |last=Leone |first=Dario |date=6 February 2015 |access-date=2 January 2023}}</ref>

[[File:F-14D with GBU-10 over Afghanistan 2001.JPEG|thumb|left|A [[U.S. Navy|Navy]] F-14D flying over the skies of Afghanistan on a [[precision bombing]] mission [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|in November 2001]] ]]
In 1995, F-14s from [[VFA-14|VF-14]] and VF-41 participated in [[Operation Deliberate Force]] as well as [[Operation Allied Force]] in 1999, and in 1998, VF-32 and VF-213 participated in Operation Desert Fox. On 15 February 2001, the [[Joint Direct Attack Munition|Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM]] was added to the Tomcat's arsenal. On 7 October 2001, F-14s would lead some of the first strikes into [[Afghanistan]] marking the start of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] and the first F-14 drop of a JDAM occurred on 11 March 2002. F-14s from VF-2, [[VF-31]], [[VF-32]], [[VF-154]], and [[VF-213]] would also participate in [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. The F-14Ds of VF-2, VF-31, and VF-213 obtained JDAM capability in March 2003.<ref name="F-14Ds_JDAM">[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=6431 "U.S. Navy's F-14D Tomcats Gain JDAM Capability."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070923022033/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=6431 |date=23 September 2007}} ''Navy Newsstand'' (United States Navy), 21 March 2003. Retrieved: 20 January 2007.</ref> On 10 December 2005, the F-14Ds of VF-31 and VF-213 were upgraded with a ROVER III downlink for transmitting images to a ground Forward Air Controller (FAC).<ref name="F-14_ROVER">[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21377 "ROVER System Revolutionizes F-14's Ground Support Capability."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061124204451/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21377 |date=24 November 2006}} ''Navy Newsstand'' (United States Navy), 14 December 2005. Retrieved: 20 January 2007.</ref> The Navy decided to retire the F-14 with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet filling the roles of fleet defense and strike formerly filled by the F-14.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215219,00.html "Navy's 'Top Gun' Tomcat Fighter Jet Makes Ceremonial Final Flight."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111122500/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215219,00.html |date=11 January 2012}} Associated Press, 22 September 2006. Retrieved: 17 July 2008.</ref><ref name=mkfflt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jGZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EPMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6913%2C624467 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |last=Krane |first=Jim |title=Tomcats making final flights |date=17 December 2005 |page=A2 |access-date=11 March 2021 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416154812/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jGZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EPMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6913%2C624467 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:F-14 final catapult July 2006.jpg|thumb|The last F-14 launch from a carrier, USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'', on 28 July 2006]]
The last American F-14 combat mission was completed on 8 February 2006, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}} after one dropped a bomb over [[Iraq]]. During their final deployment with ''Theodore Roosevelt'', VF-31 and VF-213 collectively completed 1,163 combat sorties totaling 6,876 flight hours, and dropped {{convert|9500|lb|abbr=on}} of ordnance during reconnaissance, surveillance, and close air support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.<ref>Murphy, Stephen. [http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22325 "TR Traps Last Tomcat from Combat Mission."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061122195405/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22325 |date=22 November 2006}} ''Navy Newsstand'', 15 February 2006. Retrieved: 20 January 2007.</ref> USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'' launched an F-14D, of VF-31, for the last time on 28 July 2006; piloted by Lt. Blake Coleman and Lt. Cmdr Dave Lauderbaugh as RIO.<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37561 "Final launch of the F-14 Tomcat."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123023354/http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37561 |date=23 November 2006}} navy.mil. Retrieved: 8 December 2009.</ref> The last two F-14 squadrons, the VF-31 Tomcatters and the VF-213 Black Lions conducted their last fly-in at [[Naval Air Station Oceana]] on 10 March 2006.<ref>[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22637 "Squadron Homecoming Marks End of Era for Tomcats".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125062513/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22637 |date=25 November 2006}} U.S. Navy, 10 March 2006. Retrieved: 20 January 2007.</ref>

The official final flight retirement ceremony was on 22 September 2006 at Naval Air Station Oceana and was flown by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard and Lt. Mike Petronis as RIO in a backup F-14 after the primary aircraft experienced mechanical problems.<ref name="Pilot-Online">Tiernan, Bill. [http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=111479&ran=132499 "F-14's Final Flight."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235949/http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=111479&ran=132499 |date=26 September 2007}} ''[[Virginian-Pilot]]'', 23 September 2006.</ref><ref name="Vanden Brook">Vanden Brook, Tom. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-22-F14-tomcat_x.htm "Navy retires F-14, the Coolest of Cold Warriors".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712104038/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-22-F14-tomcat_x.htm |date=12 July 2012}} ''[[USA Today]]'', 22 September 2006. Retrieved: 20 January 2007.</ref> The actual last flight of an F-14 in U.S. service took place 4 October 2006, when an F-14D of VF-31 was ferried from NAS Oceana to [[Republic Airport]] on Long Island, New York.<ref name="Vanden Brook"/> The remaining intact F-14 aircraft in the U.S. were flown to and stored at the [[309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group]] "Boneyard", at [[Davis-Monthan Air Force Base]], Arizona; in 2007 the U.S. Navy announced plans to shred the remaining F-14s to prevent any components from being acquired by Iran.<ref name=shred>[http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,680195918,00.html "Pentagon shreds F-14s to keep parts from enemies."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110135352/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,680195918,00.html |date=10 January 2008}} AP, 2 July 2007. Retrieved: 8 December 2009.</ref> In August 2009, the 309th AMARG stated that the last aircraft were taken to HVF West, [[Tucson, Arizona]] for shredding. At that time only 11 F-14s remained in desert storage.<ref name="amarg">{{cite journal |url=http://www.dm.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091109-033.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807045643/http://www.dm.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091109-033.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 August 2010 |title=Last of the Navy's F-14 Tomcats head for shredder; 11 remain in desert storage |journal=Usaf 309 Amarg |volume=3 |issue=6 |date=7 August 2009 |page=2 |access-date=22 July 2014}}</ref>