Book Review of
In the Claws of the Tomcat
U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats in Air Combat
Against Iran & Iraq, 1987-2000
Author: Tom Cooper
Middle East @ war no. 29
Helion & Co Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-913118-75-4
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: #29.95
ISBN: 978-1-913118-75-4
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: #29.95
HISTORY:
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-swept wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the F-111B project.
The F-14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.
The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 2000s.
The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began performing precision ground-attack missions.
In the 1980s, F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, where they saw combat against Iraqi warplanes. Iranian F-14s reportedly shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war, while only 12 to 16 Tomcats were lost; at least half of these losses were due to accidents.
The Tomcat was retired by U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006, having been supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-14 remains in service with Iran's air force, having been exported to Iran under the Pahlavi regime in 1976.
In November 2015, reports emerged of Iranian F-14s flying escort for Russian Tupolev Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M bombers on air strikes in Syria.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Interceptor, air superiority, and multirole fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Grumman Aerospace Corporation
First flight: 21 December 1970
Introduction to service: 22 September 1974
Retired: 22 September 2006 (United States Navy)
Status: In service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Primary users: United States Navy (historical), Imperial Iranian Air Force (historical), Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Produced: 1969–1991
Number built: 712
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 72 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a F-14 head-on and in fight, over a color side profile of the last ever USN Tomcat to engage in air combat. It is a F-12AD, BuNo. 164349, nose no. 102, assigned to the oldest of the Navy’s fighter squadrons VF-2 “Bounty Hunters” off the carrier Langley. It has a black flash on its rudder with a white skull and a small star.
The book begins with ABREVIATIONS, INTRODUCTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT pages.
There are 2 maps of the Middle East and 1 of Iraq & Iran. Three maps of Saudi Arabia, Syria & Western Iraq.
Three tech manual illustrations.
The book contains 91 black and white photos. Containing: photos of Soviet Tu-22M-2 bomber, Tu-26, Tu-22M-2/3, Tu-16 bomber, Tu-95, Tu-16PP reconnaissance bomber. two photos of a Mig-23M and a Mig-25PD.
There are 42 black and white photos of Tomcats.
Two data lists.
There are photos of carriers U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.S. Saratoga and U.S.S. Carl Vinson loaded with F-14’s on their decks. A F-14A taking off of the deck of the U.S.S. Independence.
A photo of a E-2C airborne early-warning aircraft. A photo of a F-14 shooting down a drone. Si--x photos of pilots.
Four photos of F-14’s being refueled in the air by tankers.
A photo of a Roland-2 tank. A photo of an Iraqi SA-2 SAM rocket launcher that was captured by U.S. troops in Kuwait in 1991.
The only color photo is the cover art one.
There are 22 color side-profile illustrations in the book. Sixteen of them are of U.S. Tomcats, 6 are Iraqi Air Force ones and one is a Soviet Mig-21.
This is one neat book about F-14 Tomcats and will be of great interest to modelers planning a Tomcat kit and aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Helion book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-swept wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the F-111B project.
The F-14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.
The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 2000s.
The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began performing precision ground-attack missions.
In the 1980s, F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, where they saw combat against Iraqi warplanes. Iranian F-14s reportedly shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war, while only 12 to 16 Tomcats were lost; at least half of these losses were due to accidents.
The Tomcat was retired by U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006, having been supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-14 remains in service with Iran's air force, having been exported to Iran under the Pahlavi regime in 1976.
In November 2015, reports emerged of Iranian F-14s flying escort for Russian Tupolev Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M bombers on air strikes in Syria.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Interceptor, air superiority, and multirole fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Grumman Aerospace Corporation
First flight: 21 December 1970
Introduction to service: 22 September 1974
Retired: 22 September 2006 (United States Navy)
Status: In service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Primary users: United States Navy (historical), Imperial Iranian Air Force (historical), Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Produced: 1969–1991
Number built: 712
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 72 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a F-14 head-on and in fight, over a color side profile of the last ever USN Tomcat to engage in air combat. It is a F-12AD, BuNo. 164349, nose no. 102, assigned to the oldest of the Navy’s fighter squadrons VF-2 “Bounty Hunters” off the carrier Langley. It has a black flash on its rudder with a white skull and a small star.
The book begins with ABREVIATIONS, INTRODUCTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT pages.
There are 2 maps of the Middle East and 1 of Iraq & Iran. Three maps of Saudi Arabia, Syria & Western Iraq.
Three tech manual illustrations.
The book contains 91 black and white photos. Containing: photos of Soviet Tu-22M-2 bomber, Tu-26, Tu-22M-2/3, Tu-16 bomber, Tu-95, Tu-16PP reconnaissance bomber. two photos of a Mig-23M and a Mig-25PD.
There are 42 black and white photos of Tomcats.
Two data lists.
There are photos of carriers U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.S. Saratoga and U.S.S. Carl Vinson loaded with F-14’s on their decks. A F-14A taking off of the deck of the U.S.S. Independence.
A photo of a E-2C airborne early-warning aircraft. A photo of a F-14 shooting down a drone. Si--x photos of pilots.
Four photos of F-14’s being refueled in the air by tankers.
A photo of a Roland-2 tank. A photo of an Iraqi SA-2 SAM rocket launcher that was captured by U.S. troops in Kuwait in 1991.
The only color photo is the cover art one.
There are 22 color side-profile illustrations in the book. Sixteen of them are of U.S. Tomcats, 6 are Iraqi Air Force ones and one is a Soviet Mig-21.
This is one neat book about F-14 Tomcats and will be of great interest to modelers planning a Tomcat kit and aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Helion book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
Highly recommended.