Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat served as the Navy’s first-line fighter from 1972-2006. Its variable-geometry wings provided lift for the slow-speed flight essential to carrier landings when swept fully forward, and in the swept-back position they blended into the aircraft to create a dart-like silhouette for supersonic flight at speeds up to 1,544 mph and heights of more than 50,000 feet. Its on-board targeting systems allowed a two-seat crew consisting of a pilot and radar intercept officer to fire as many as six Phoenix missiles at six different targets at ranges exceeding 100 miles, while for close-in action F-14s typically carried Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles in addition to a 20mm M61 cannon. Aircraft 157986 was the seventh Tomcat built by Grumman and was retained as the company’s primary research and development airframe. In 1973, it served as the prototype for the Super Tomcat series, which incorporated more powerful engines. The Tomcat was also the fighter plane featured in the 1986 film Top Gun.

New York, New York · United States