F-14A Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat is a dual-seat variable geometry carrier-launched aircraft developed by Grumman Aerospace Corporation.

History
One of the leading carrier aircraft of the United States, the F-14 was developed by Grumman to fulfill a postwar need of the United States Navy to obtain an aircraft able of intercepting enemy bombers and fighters. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, after being appointed in 1961, pressured the Navy and Air Force to collaborate in the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program to produce a joint service aircraft to reduce production costs in spite of clashing interservice design interests. The program produced the F-111 Aardvark and its Grumman-General Dynamics F-111B successor, which suffered problems related to its role as a naval aircraft.

TFX was halted in 1968 on account of the Aardvark's poor carrier operation and Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly's complaints against it directed at the Department of the Navy, allowing the USN to independently follow its own program. Said project, the VFX (Naval Fighter Experimental) plan, led to a design contest that awarded Grumman the development contract for the F-14. Named after Connolly, the Tomcat was rapidly produced in the company's New York facilities and skipped the prototype phase to prevent interference from McNamara before entering service in 1970.

Game analysis
Air Combat 22=
 * AVAILABILITY
 * Available at start of game. Cover aircraft.

Air Combat=
 * AVAILABILITY
 * Unlocked at start of game. Costs $3,000,000.


 * STATISTICS
 * Power: Superior
 * Mobility: Poor
 * Offense: Superior
 * Stability: Superior
 * Defense: Medium

Trivia

 * The F-14A is the oldest aircraft to appear in the cover of an Ace Combat game.
 * The F-14A from Ace Combat Infinity incorporates the TCS/IRSTdual sensor pod of the F-14D Super Tomcat.