F-14 Tomcat

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-based, twin-engine, two-seat fighter built for air superiority and fleet air defense, first flying on 21 December 1970 and making its first operational deployment with the United States Navy aboard USS Enterprise in 1974. Its signature feature was a variable-sweep wing that pilots could adjust between 20 and 68 degrees in flight, combining efficient long-range cruising with the tight turning performance needed for close air combat, and 712 were built between 1969 and 1991. The Tomcat served as the Navy's primary carrier-based fighter until its retirement in 2006, when it was replaced by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and Iran was its only foreign customer, receiving deliveries beginning in 1976 and flying the Tomcat in combat against Iraq through the 1980s.