In the movie, "Top Gun: Maverick", the F-14 Tomcat makes a dramatic return during the film's climax. Maverick and Rooster find themselves in an old F-14 after their F/A-18 is destroyed. They use this iconic aircraft to engage in a dogfight against advanced fifth-generation enemy fighters, referred to as "bandits." Despite the F-14 being outdated compared to the enemy aircraft, Maverick's experience and skill allow him to outmaneuver and defeat the bandits. This sequence is a nostalgic nod to the original Top Gun, where the F-14 played a central role.

Designed to carry the formidable long range AIM-54 Phoenix missile, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was first flown on December 21st, 1970. Made famous by the Hollywood film Top Gun, the F-14 replaced the F-4 Phantom II as the US Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter. Its design includes a variable geometry wing that can sweep back for high speed supersonic intercepts and forward for improved positioning in air to air dogfights. Nicknamed "Bombcat," the F-14 spent much of its late career in an air-to-ground role, carrying the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system.

Info:   F-14A "Sukhoi Killer" 160390, VF-41, USS Nimitz, Feb 1982