Free Republic

China is building a potent air launched anti-ship cruise missiles along with aircraft to carry those weapons. Meanwhile, the once-dormant Russian bomber force is back—though not in the numbers of the Soviet era. Moreover, with the emergence of new adversary stealth aircraft—some of which have the capability to fly very high and very fast—which are also armed with cruise missiles, the Navy will need the range and speed that the Tomcat offered to fend off those threats. The F/A-18E/F can do the job—but only to an extent.The United States Navy retired the venerable Grumman F-14 Tomcat in 2006 after more than three decades in...

Peacetime Budgets in Wartime: The Coming Decline of the U.S. Military By William R. Hawkins Friday, March 14, 2003 At the February 26 House Armed Services Committee hearing on the FY 2004 Defense budget, chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) questioned the wisdom of further reducing America's military strength as forces mass for war in Iraq.  He noted that the proposed integration of Navy and Marine tactical aircraft squadrons would mean a cut of 497 fighter aircraft, ten percent of the force, and the disbanding of five squadrons. The planes taken out of service will be the oldest, but production of  F/A-18E/F Super Hornets,...

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The last F-14 Tomcat to fly a combat mission over Iraq made its final flight from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) to Naval Air Station Pensacola April 13. The Tomcat will be immortalized at the National Museum of Naval Aviation here as the final decommissioning stages close and training for its replacement, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, continue. “Bittersweet,” is how Lt. Cmdr. Mark Stufflebeem, the aircraft’s pilot, referred to the final mission. “We were the last aircraft from our squadron to leave, because we’ve had aircraft go to a lot of museums around...

A chapter in naval aviation history drew to a close aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) with the last recovery of an F-14 Tomcat from a combat mission. Piloted by Capt. William G. Sizemore II, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Fighter Squadron (VF) 213's aircraft 204, was trapped at 12:35 a.m. February 8, and marked one of the final stages of the Navy's transition from the F-14 to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. "It's the end of an era and it just kind of worked out that I was the last trap," said Sizemore. "This is one of the best...

End of an Era, the F-14 tomcat makes its final public appearance. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The venerable F-14 Tomcat took a final bow with a boom at its last air show Sept. 16-18 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. The classic Northrup Grumman fighter jet that rose to prominence in the 1986 hit film "Top Gun" and has worn U.S. Navy colors since its first test flight in 1970 attracted a legion of fans from around the world at its public goodbye. “It’s basically a bittersweet day for us,” said Lt. Cortney Kinna, an F-14 naval flight officer...

- Ens. Manuel Sanchez, VX-30 maintenance material control officer, recently made history by being the last Navy F-14 Tomcat test and evaluation maintenance material control officer. According to tradition, Sanchez took a supersonic ride in the back of the F-14 Tomcat which he said was the time of his life. “If you haven’t heard, the world famous Tomcat that Tom Cruise put on the map with the movie Top Gun is currently disestablishing from the Navy,” Sanchez said. “We at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Three Zero (VX-30) ‘The Bloodhounds’ out of Point Mugu, Calif., are a Combat Support Unit....

Since she was last home two years ago, Ashley has flown her F14 Tomcat on more than 200 hours of combat missions in two wars. She talks to Martin Bentham about life as a 'Top Gun' - and what she will do next.The Christmas tree lights are flickering in the living room of her parents' home in Surrey as Ashley, a former British public schoolgirl, recalls her momentous year.   US Navy lieutenant Ashley "They were shooting at my aircraft, so I had to pay attention, move out of the way and not think about the possible outcome," she says...

<p>ABOARD THE USS CONSTELLATION -(KRT) - Sleek and projecting power even though still, the USS Constellation's F-14 Tomcats dominate the carrier's flight deck. Originally designed to foil Soviet fighters during the Cold War, these exponents of Navy air power are probably seeing their last service in this one.</p>

Pilots Describe Being Behind Enemy Lines By ROHAN SULLIVAN .c The Associated Press ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK (AP) - The two Americans bailed out of a failing F-14 Tomcat fighter jet in the Iraqi desert, and when rescuers asked if they could walk, they didn't hesitate. ``I can run, just point me in the right direction,'' replied one crew member, a lieutenant commander nicknamed Gordo. Gordo, the plane's radar intercept operator, and its pilot, a lieutenant who goes by Vinny, returned to their base on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk on Wednesday after a frightening night behind enemy...

Two U.S. Navy pilots were rescued Tuesday when their F-14 Tomcat crashed in southern Iraq, the Navy said. Both pilots were in good condition, the Navy said in a statement. The crash was not believed to be due to hostile fire. The fighter jet, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf, was on a combat mission when it crashed, the statement said.

ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK, Mar 21, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Navy launched about 320 Tomahawk cruise missiles on Iraq from ships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, senior officers said Friday. "We have just begun the next phase of attacks in Iraq," said Rear Adm. Matthew G. Moffit, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk battle group in the north Persian Gulf. "The intention is to convince the regime that it is time to leave, and if they don't we will try to take them out by force," Moffit told reporters...