Designed as a fleet defence fighter with secondary escort and strike dutties, the F-14A Tomcat is probably one of the most advanced air superiority fighters flying in the world today. The prototype made its initial flight on December 21st, 1970, and production aircraft entered USN service four years later.

Its variable geometry wings enable the aircraft to gain more over a wider speed range. Computer controlled but with a pilot-operated manual override, the wing can be swept from its fully-forward 20º position for low-speed work, to 60º for supersonic speed and combat use, and the fitting of leading edge slats allow tight turns to be made in the order of 9G - or nine times the force of gravity. The heart of the Tomcat's weapon system is the Hughes ANG-9 radar and its associated AIM-54A Phoenix radar-guided air-to-air missiles. No less important and specified as essential by the US Navy following jet combat experience in Vietnam is the internally-mounted six-barrel M-61 Vulcan cannon, capable of delivering between 4,000 and 6,000 rounds per minute! Other weaponry includes bombs, Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. On the power of its two 20,900 lb thrust Pratt & Whitney TF30 turbofan engines, the Tomcat has a maximum speed of Mach 2.34 (1,545 m.p.h./2,486 km/h) at 40,000 ft. (12,192 m). Produced for the US Navy, the swing-wing F14-A Tomcat is the very latest carrier-based fighter. It can track and attack several targets at once with its deadly combination of high-powered radar and missiles.

Polystyrene Cement and Paints Required = Common 11,22,33,53,125,129,130,147. VF-14 Tophatters USS John Kennedy USN 16,85,127. VF-14 Black Aces USS John Kennedy USN 135,140.