The F-14 Tomcat program was initiated when it became obvious that the weight and maneuverability issues plaguing the U.S. Navy variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) (F-111B) would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defense fighter (FADF) with the primary role of intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier group. The Navy also wanted the aircraft to possess inherent air superiority characteristics. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft, fearing the compromises would cripple the aircraft, but were forced to participate in the program at direction of then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who wanted "joint" solutions to the service aircraft needs to reduce developmental costs. The prior example of the F-4 Phantom which was a Navy program later adopted by the USAF (under similar direction) was the order of the day. Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly, DCNO for Air Warfare took the developmental F-111A for a flight and discovered it was unable to go supersonic and had poor landing characteristics. He later testified to Congress about his concerns against the official Department of the Navy position and in May 1968, Congress killed funding for the F-111B allowing the Navy to pursue an answer tailored to their requirements.

NAVAIR shortly issued an RFP for the Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX), a tandem two-seat fighter with maximum speed of Mach 2.2 and a secondary close air support role. Of the five companies that submitted bids (four of which incorporated variable-geometry wings as on the F-111), McDonnell Douglas and Grumman were selected as finalists in December 1968, and Grumman won the contract in January 1969. Grumman had been a partner on the F-111B, and had started work on an alternative when they saw the project heading south, and so had an edge on its competitors. Their early design mock-ups and cost projections were floated among Navy brass as an alternative to the F-111B.

The winning Grumman design reused the TF30 engines from the F-111B, though the Navy planned on replacing them with the F401-PW-400 engines then under development by Pratt and Whitney for the Navy (in parallel with the related F100 for the USAF). Though lighter than the F-111B, it was still the largest and heaviest U.S. fighter to ever fly from an aircraft carrier, its size a consequence of the requirement to carry the large AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, also from the F-111B and an internal fuel load of 16,000 lbs (7300 kg). The F-14 would also share a similar inlet duct, wing, and landing gear geometry with Grumman's A-6 Intruder.

Upon being granted the contract for the F-14, Grumman greatly expanded its Calverton, Long Island, New York facility to test and evaluate the new swing-wing interceptor. Much of the testing was in the air of the Long Island Sound as well as the first few in-flight mishaps, including the first of many compressor stalls and ejections. In order to save time and forestall interference from Secretary McNamara, the Navy skipped the prototype phase and jumped directly to full-scale development; the Air Force took a similar approach with its F-15.

The F-14 first flew on December 21st, 1970, just 22 months after Grumman was awarded the contract, and reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 1973. While the Marine Corps was interested in the F-14 and went so far as to send pilots to VF-124 to train as instructors, they were never fully sold on the aircraft and pulled out when the stores management system for ground attack munitions was left undeveloped, leaving the aircraft incapable of dropping air-to-ground munitions (these were later developed in the 1990s).

Pictured here is a stunning 1:72 scale diecast replica of a US Navy F-14A Tomcat fighter that was piloted by Commander Dale "Snort" Snodgrass who was attached to VF-33 "Starfighters," then embarked upon the USS America (CV-66), during 1990. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-inches
Length: 10-1/2-inches

Release Date: April 2023

Historical Account: "Snort" - Dale Snodgrass (May 13th, 1949 - July 24th, 2021) was a United States Navy aviator and air show performer who according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review was considered one of the greatest fighter pilots of all time.

Snodgrass was the "highest time Tomcat pilot," after having accumulated more than 4,800 hours in the F-14 and more than 1200 arrested carrier landings, both more than any other pilot. He was called "The Real Top Gun" or the real "Maverick" in reference to Tom Cruise's character in the movie, Top Gun.

Snodgrass graduated first in his flight school in 1974. He was the first student selected to begin flying the F-14 Tomcat right out of flight school. Snodgrass' call sign in the Navy was "Snort". In 1978, he attended the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, commonly known as "TOPGUN", the Navy Fighter Weapons School. He later became a TOPGUN instructor.

In 1985, the US Navy selected Snodgrass as "Fighter Pilot of the Year." The following year, Snodgrass reportedly did a little bit of the flying in the film Top Gun. As the best F-14 pilot in 1986, Grumman Aerospace awarded Snodgrass "Topcat of the Year." He later became a demonstration pilot, a role he kept for 10 years.

Snodgrass was famous for his low-level flybys. During the summer of 1988, Snodgrass performed a low-level "banana pass" or a knife-edge pass during an air show for a Dependent's Day Cruise for the families of carrier personnel aboard the USS America aircraft carrier. A photo of the pass was captured, taken by a Naval photographer, and it is considered one of the most famous aviation photos of all time. Snodgrass' F-14 wings are vertical, and appears to be very close to the ship and the crew members seen in the foreground.

During Operation Desert Storm, Snodgrass was the commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 33. Leading 34 missions as overall Strike or Fighter Lead in 12 operational Fighter Squadron/Wing tours, he was awarded honors including a Bronze Star for Leadership and Valor. In September 1994, he became Commander of all US Navy F-14 Tomcats for Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

In the Navy, Snodgrass was considered the "highest time Tomcat pilot," logged more than 8,000 hours of flight time including more than 4,800 hours in the F-14 and more than 1200 arrested carrier landings, both more than any other pilot. He was the first Tomcat pilot to carrier qualify both night and day without any fleet experience.