F-14 Tomcat: Grumman's "Top Gun" from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf

Today, U.S. Navy carrier decks are filled with F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornet, but there was a time when F-14 symbolized American military might. The Tomcat, the last of Grumman cat series fighters, owes much of its fame to appearing in several blockbuster movies including 1986's Top Gun. The aerial footage of F-14s sweeping through canyons and pulling aerobatic maneuvers thrilled thousands of youngsters, including me, which explains why I have several Tomcats in my stash.

When I get ready to build one of them, I'll be reaching for F-14 Tomcat: Grumman's “Top Gun” from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf one of the books in Schiffer's Legends of Warfare Aviation series. In the 128-page hardcover, author David F. Brown traces the big fighters birth out of the end of the navalized F-111 program and testing, including profiles and photos of preproduction Tomcats, through service entry. Helpful to understand the variants and updates is a chapter summarizing differences between them. Section on the F-14's reconnaissance and bomber roles follow. The longest chapter details each of the Navy squadrons that flew Tomcats. It's followed by details of combat operations, the departure of the aircraft from U.S. service, and a short section about those still being used in Iran.

Beautifully reproduced photos of Tomcats in the air, and on the ground and carriers with detailed captions tell much of the F-14's story and provide plenty of inspiration for your builds. And you'll be forgiven if you are caught humming “Danger Zone” as you flip through the pages.