F-14 Tomcat in Action
F-14 Tomcat in Action

Author: David Doyle

Publisher: MMD-Squadron Signal

Published: 2018-07-02

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9780897478557

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Few types of aircraft owe their celebrity status to Hollywood to the extent that the F-14 Tomcat does, first, with the time-travel Pearl Harbor film The Final Countdown, and later with the hit movie Top Gun. While Hollywood may have cemented the F-14 in the public eye, it was Grumman engineers on Long Island that cemented the aircraft into the mind of naval aviators. When the F-14 was retired with considerable ceremony on 22 September 2006, after 36 years of service by the type, it was not because its capabilities had been eclipsed. Rather, it was because, like the SR-71, the aircraft was deemed too expensive to operate in an era following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Indeed, it was to counter the Communist threat that the Navy had sought a Fleet Air Defense fighter capable of carrying extremely long range air-to-air missiles, powerful radar to guide intercepts, as well as a heavy cannon for close air-to-air combat. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara had insisted that the Navy and Air Force engineer a single aircraft to serve both branches and fill the Navy requirements, resulting in the F-111. The Navy variant of the F-111, the F-111B, did not meet the service's requirements, and in 1968 the Navy stopped funding the F-111 program. This set the stage for the F-14--which Grumman engineers were able to take from concept to first flight in only 22 months. Even today, there are many in the Naval aviation community who yearn for the Tomcat to still be part of the fleet. Contains more than 175 photos of which most are in full color, line drawings and profiles.

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat
Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat

Author: Tom Cooper

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-11-20

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 178200761X

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So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14's Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat
Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Author: Dave Parsons

Publisher: Zenith Press

Published: 2011-07-17

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 0760339813

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For thirty-five years of active naval service, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the foremost air superiority fighter of the Cold War, with continuing service as a fighter-bomber in the Gulf Wars. Two hundred thousand sailors, both pilots and "ground" crew, served in F-14 squadrons with the Tomcat over its decades of flight.This book is a grand remembrance of this great aircraft by those who flew it. Hundreds of pilots have included their favorite stories of the missions and planes that brought them home. Two hundred exceptional color photographs show the F-14 on the deck, in the air, and over the sea.

Tomcat Rio
Tomcat Rio

Author: Dave Baranek

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-09-29

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1510748237

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From Topgun to Squadron Command You’re in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled you off its deck. You’re practicing dogfighting with “aggressors,” guys on your side flying F-16s. You’re patrolling the tense skies above Iraq, and with the push of a button you can launch the 100-mile Phoenix missile that can blow a foe to scrap before you even see him. You are an expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, and it all leads to your command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than three hundred people. Sounds like a week’s worth of daydreams, but it’s all real-life in the career of Dave “Bio” Baranek, and he shares it with you in the exciting, superbly crafted new book, Tomcat Rio. Dave – callsign “Bio” – pulled his readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and the Navy’s TOPGUN program with his popular books Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. Now he’s back with the rest of the story, as he reaches the top level of expertise and proves it, not just in graded competitions but also where it counts, where you shoot at them and they shoot at you. Dave also shares the challenges he faced. A deadly foe called complacency. Learning a whole new mission late in his career. The unexpected trials that come with leading a squadron in the dynamic environment of Naval Aviation. This third volume is full of adventures, lessons, and inspiration. If you are a casual reader, you’ll turn the last page as a dedicated Tomcat fan. To make it all even more real, Tomcat Rio includes dozens of Bio’s best and most acclaimed photos. Photographer George Hall hailed one shot as “one of the best Tomcat photos ever taken.” In words and pictures, Bio immerses you in rich detail. He pipes you aboard as a member of an F-14 squadron. You share the camaraderie of Type A personalities. You plan risky missions, going toe-to-toe against America’s most volatile foes. You can almost smell the pungent jet exhaust, almost feel the gut-wrenching G’s of a dogfight, as Tomcat Rio pitches you into the thick of it as only Bio can tell it. Strap in! You’re going for one fantastic ride.

In the Claws of the Tomcat
In the Claws of the Tomcat

Author: Tom Cooper

Publisher:

Published: 2020-04-19

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781913118754

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Equipped with well-balanced air wings, huge aircraft carriers have formed the backbone of the United States Navy's doctrine and strategy since the Second World War. Packing an enormous punch, their purpose is to exercise control over enormous portions of airspace - in the offence or defence.From the mid-1970s until the mid-2000s, the spear tip of the USN air wings was the famous Grumman F-14 Tomcat - widely considered one of the finest air superiority systems in the world. Originally designed as a fast, manoeuvrable and well-armed fighter, the Tomcat entered service as the ultimate long-range fleet defender and became the biggest, most complex and most expensive naval aircraft of its time. Including a unique and exceptional combination of flight characteristics, detection systems and weapons, it earned itself the status of a legend by the mid-1980s.The F-14 Tomcats of the US Navy achieved their first aerial victories during freedom of navigation exercises off Libya in 1981. However, the period during which they saw most combat followed several years later, during Operations Earnest Will and then Desert Storm, from 1987 until 1991.To date, very little has been published about the operations in question. Indeed, the widespread belief is that USN F-14s saw next to no air combat against Iran, and even less so during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. As so often, the reality is entirely different: Tomcats engaged dozens of opponents, often on the verge of the engagement envelope of their powerful AWG-9 radars and AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles, and sometimes at such close ranges that their pilots selected 'guns'. Weather- and communications-related problems, but also the incredible discipline of their crews prevented them from scoring up to a dozen aerial victories: however, it is perfectly possible that they scored at least one, perhaps more previously entirely unknown aerial victories - and also lost one of their own to an enemy fighter.Richly illustrated by over 100 photographs and authentic colour profiles, 'Tomcats of the Storm' is an exclusive source of reference about some of least-well known air combats fought by US Navy's fighter crews in recent history.

Fearless Leadership (Second Edition)
Fearless Leadership (Second Edition)

Author: Carey Lohrenz

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group

Published: 2014-10-07

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 1626341141

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#1 Amazon Bestseller in Leadership Wall Street Journal Bestseller An F-14 fighter pilot’s top lessons for leading fearlessly—and bringing a team to peak performance As an aviation pioneer, Carey D. Lohrenz learned what fearless leadership means in some of the most demanding and extreme environments imaginable: the cockpit of an F-14 and the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Here, her teams had to perform at their peak—or lives were on the line. Faltering leadership was simply unacceptable. Through these experiences, Lohrenz identified a fundamental truth: high-performing teams require fearless leaders. Since leaving the Navy, she’s translated that lesson into a new field, helping top business leaders, from Fortune 500 executives to middle managers, supercharge performance in today’s competitive business environments. In Fearless Leadership, Lohrenz walks you through the three fundamentals of real fearlessness—courage, tenacity, and integrity—and then reveals fearless leadership in action, offering advice on how to set a bold vision, bring the team together (as wingmen, not Top Gun mavericks), execute effectively, and stay resilient through hard times. Whether you’re stepping into your first leadership role or looking to get out of a longstanding rut, Fearless Leadership will act like your afterburner—rocketing you to ever-higher levels of performance.

F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Enduring Freedom
F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Enduring Freedom

Author: Tony Holmes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-11-20

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1782006737

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The legendary F-14 Tomcat was the weapon of choice to strike against the enemies of the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks, with F-14s flying thousands of bombing missions on al-Qaeda and Taliban positions. Written by aviation expert Tony Holmes, this book explores the F-14 pilots and aircraft involved in Operation Enduring Freedom, with insights into the tactical approach and strategic aims provided by officers. Exclusive access to mission reports, combat diaries, fullcolour artwork and photographs from the author's collection reveal the battle experiences of the most famous modern fast jet.

Tomcat Fury
Tomcat Fury

Author: Mike Guardia

Publisher:

Published: 2019-09-10

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 9780999644331

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From the Gulf of Sidra to the skies over Afghanistan. The complete combat history of the F-14 Tomcat...as told by the pilots who flew it. For more than three decades, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the US Navy's premier carrier-based, multi-role fighter jet. From its harrowing combat missions over Libya to its appearance on the silver screen in movies like Top Gun and Executive Decision, the F-14 has become an icon of American air power. Now, for the first time in a single volume, Tomcat Fury explores the illustrious combat history of the F-14: from the Gulf of Sidra...to the Iran-Iraq War...to the skies over Afghanistan in the Global War on Terror.