Editing Grumman F-14 Tomcat (section)

===VFX===
Free to choose their solution to the FAD requirement, VFAX ended in favor of a new design that would combine the two roles. In July 1968, the [[Naval Air Systems Command]] (NAVAIR) issued a [[request for proposal]]s (RFP) for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program. VFX called for a tandem two-seat, twin-engine air-to-air fighter with a maximum speed of Mach 2.2.<ref>A Dictionary of Aviation, David W. Wragg. {{ISBN|0850451639}}, 1st Edition Published by Osprey, 1973 / Published by Frederick Fell, Inc., NY, 1974 (1st American Edition.), Page 123.</ref> It would also have a built-in 20&nbsp;mm [[M61 Vulcan]] cannon and a secondary close air support role.<ref name="Woolridge"/> The VFX's air-to-air missiles would be either six [[AIM-54 Phoenix]] or a combination of six [[AIM-7 Sparrow]] and four [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missiles. Bids were received from General Dynamics, Grumman, [[Ling-Temco-Vought]], [[McDonnell Douglas]], and [[Rockwell International|North American Rockwell]];<ref name=Spick_p9-10>Spick 1985, pp. 9–10.</ref> four bids incorporated [[Variable-sweep wing|variable-geometry wings]].<ref name="Woolridge">Woolridge, Capt. E.T., ed. ''Into the Jet Age: Conflict and Change in Naval Aviation 1945–1975, an Oral History''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1995. {{ISBN|1-55750-932-8}}.</ref>{{refn|Admiral Thomas F. Connolly wrote the chapter, "The TFX – One Fighter For All".<ref name="Woolridge"/>|group=N}}

The name "Tomcat" was partially chosen to pay tribute to Connolly, as the nickname "Tom's Cat" had already been widely used within the program during development to reflect Connolly's involvement, and now the moniker was adapted into an official name in line with the Grumman tradition of giving its fighter aircraft feline names. Changing it to ''Tomcat'' associated the aircraft with the previous Grumman aircraft [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|Wildcat]], [[Grumman F6F Hellcat|Hellcat]], [[Grumman F7F Tigercat|Tigercat]], and [[Grumman F8F Bearcat|Bearcat]] propeller fighters along with the [[Grumman F9F Panther|Panther]], [[Grumman F-9 Cougar|Cougar]], and [[Grumman F-11 Tiger|Tiger]] jet fighters. Other names considered were ''[[Feral cat|Alley Cat]]'' (considered inappropriate due to sexual connotations) and ''Seacat''.<ref>Spick, 2000, p.74</ref><ref>Marrett 2006, p. 18.</ref>