The memorial will honor the renowned Grumman fighter plane in addition to the people who manufactured and maintained the aircraft flew it and gave their lives doing so
A monument honoring the F-14 Tomcat fighter plane will be erected on Virginia Beach’s oceanfront, according to The Virginian-Pilot on May 25, 2020. The memorial will honor the renowned Grumman fighter plane in addition to the people who manufactured and maintained the aircraft, flew it and gave their lives doing so.
A granite obelisk with four sides will serve as the memorial. A variety of pictures of the aircraft in use will be shown on panels along with information on how it was used and who maintained it. In actuality, a panel will remember the 68 pilots who lost their lives.
The F-14 Tomcat operated as an advanced interceptor and air superiority fighter, capable of striking six enemy aircraft simultaneously at a range of over 100 miles with the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. It is arguably the most well-known US Navy fighter because of its starring role in Top Gun.
A fleet defense fighter that could engage high-altitude bombers from well beyond visual range was necessary because Soviet long-range patrol and bomber aircraft during the Cold War had advanced. The famous F-14 Tomcat, according to the National Naval Aviation Museum, was Grumman’s response. With this hefty load, an interceptor’s fast speed was required, therefore Grumman created the F-14’s very effective variable-sweep wing, which allows it to fly at a variety of airspeeds.
The Navy’s search for an advanced carrier-based air superiority fighter led to the evaluation of General Dynamics’ F-111B, an aircraft that would promote the Department of Defense’s aim of commonality with the Air Force and its F-111A. When the F-111B was found to be too heavy for carrier operations after being upgraded to fulfill Navy mission requirements, the contract was terminated in April 1968. The Navy then launched a new design competition for what was known as the VFX program, with McDonnell Douglas and Grumman serving as its two main rivals.
Grumman’s Model 303 suggested a variable-geometry, two-seat, twin-engined design centered on the Hughes AWG-9 weapons system while McDonnell Douglas studied a navalized version of the F-15. Grumman’s earlier XF10F Jaguar, which had only been constructed as a prototype, had given it significant experience with “swing-wing” technology. The selection of Pratt & Whitney TF-30 turbofans, which are comparable to those used in the F-111, was required by the necessity for quick development and fielding of the aircraft.
The new “Tomcat,” which continued Grumman’s practice of naming its aircraft after felines, took to the skies for the first time in December 1970. The first F-14As were delivered to the Navy in June 1972 after going through a number of modifications during flight testing, with Fighter Squadron (VF) 124 being assigned the responsibility of crew training. VF-1 and VF-2 were the first operational squadrons to receive the new aircraft on the West Coast, while VF-14 and VF-32 were the first squadrons assigned to the Atlantic fleet on the East Coast. The Marine Corps was getting ready to launch VMFA-122 at NAS Miramar in 1974 when it was decided to stick with modified variants of the trusty F-4J Phantom II.
In August 1981, two Libyan Su-22 planes were shot down by an F-14 over the Gulf of Sidra. It saw considerable duty in the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 2006, the final F-14s were taken out of service.
Photo by U.S. Navy