Dogfighting Cats
 
 
The F-14's combat debut came at an inauspicious time.  The first
Tomcats arrived in service in 1975, just in time to assist in the
evacuation of Americans from South Vietnam.  In later years, the
F-14 was used for more spectacular missions.  On two different
occasions in the Mediterranean, F-14s destroyed Libyan aircraft
that had provoked them into confrontation. 
 
The first incident occurred on August 19, 1981.  Two Libyan
Sukhoi Su-22 Fitters closed in on two F-14s.  One of the Libyan
planes fired an Atoll missile and the F-14s immediately engaged
their attackers, shooting down both Sukhois with  Sidewinder
missiles. 
 
Almost eight years later, on January 4, 1989, two Libyan MiG-23
Floggers harassed American F-14s patrolling the North African
coast.  The Libyan planes kept turning into the Tomcats,
obviously trying to get themselves into firing position.  Once
again, the Tomcats attacked and knocked out both Floggers, this
time with a Sparrow and a Sidewinder missile.
 
Between 1974 and 1975, the Shah of Iran bought 80 Tomcats to
combat overflights of his territory by Soviet MiG-25s.  After the
Shah was deposed, the new Iranian government used the F-14s in
the eight-year war against Iraq.  The Iranians, however, were
able to maintain only about one third of their force in battle,
using them primarily as an airborne warning radar.  During the
course of this war, F-14s claimed three Iraqi aircraft while
three F-14s were shot down.
 
Unfortunately, the Tomcat production line has shut down and will
probably never be reopened.  Nonetheless, the existing fleet of
Navy F-14s will continue to be modernized and used until perhaps
the second decade of the next century.